In the surroundings
Arcesaz is a small district of Brusson where La Croce Bianca Hotel is located. Arcesaz is situated halfway up to the valley at the foot of the Monte Rosa. Here the wide valley is extremely rich in historical and environmental material and it has breathtaking buildings. The Graines Castle is surely the most important building with its stronghold looking over the view.
In the surroundings we can find chapels, like the Arcesaz one, that from an historical point of view can make more interesting the walk in the area. Everyone can reach the castle and the chapels in a few dozens minutes.
There are also more challenging walks in the surrounding area. The walk leading to the Arp refuge, above Estoul, needs two-hour walk along a trail that is walkable also for kids in unspoilt surroundings. From there well-trained hikers can reach Palasina lakes, Corno Bussola and Corno Vitello. Ranzola hill is located on the left-hand side of the valley and it connects this area with the Gressoney one.
In a lower part of the area from Graines, hikers can reach the Frudière lakes and the hill. It is a valley with several lakes that are well-known because of such a breathtaking environment at the foot of the huge Mont Nery. This peak along with Becca Torché and Becca di Viou (the so-called Challand Ladies) are more than 3000 metre high. There are several trails not far from La Croce Bianca Hotel that are only for well-trained hikers. Just a few people go there where they can find an atmosphere of past times . There the difference in height is very high and the trails are difficult.
On the right-hand side of the valley, near Arcesaz, a beautiful hike starts from Antagnod and reaches the peak of Monte Zerbion where there is a stunning view of the whole Aosta Valley and the Monte Rosa massif.
Last but not least there is the Monte Rosa. Some alpine trails lead to the 4000-metre high peaks Pollux and Castor. These trails are on majestic glaciers.
Another noteworthy tourist site is the Chamousira gold mine. It is a seven-tier mine with a surface area of 5249 ft that doesn't work anymore. The mined material was carried inside the galleries up to the washing area in Pontey. Today in this area there is the Mining Museum Chamousira/Fenilliaz. It opens seasonally. For further information have a look at the website http://www.chamousira.net.
The Monte Rosa ski area is a few miles away from La Croce Bianca Hotel. There there are several ski areas such as the Estoul-and Antagnod one and the Champoluc one.
The Estoul-and Antagnod ski areas are always under the sun and they have medium-difficulty slopes.
From the ski slopes beginning from Champoluc we can reach Alagna crossing the Colle di Bettaforca and the Passo dei Salati.
The Brusson cross-county track with his cross-country sport centre has a fabulous trail that any type of skier can enjoy.
