SILVER white winters that melt into spring’ are, canonically, favourite things when it comes to the Alps, but perhaps Messrs Rodgers and Hammerstein could have spared a verse for the summertime, too. After all, a linguist (or a pedant) might tell you that the word ‘alp’ means a high mountain pasture for grazing livestock in season, rather than a mountain itself, so there’s always been more to these peaks than ski runs and raclette.
It’s not that going chronologically off-piste is a new idea or that we’re letting you in on a secret. In the early 1800s, summering in the Alps was de rigueur. However, there has been a boom in recent years, fuelled by a number of factors: pandemic-era rediscovery by locals, those seeking (relative) respite from scorching heatwaves inland, active types biking, hiking and flinging themselves off high things and those seeking some real R&R. More hotels are opening for, and actively promoting, the summer season. Restaurants, too, with a veritable constellation of Michelin stars on the French side alone (to quote Anthony Bourdain: ‘God bless the French. They can’t go too long—not even down a mountain—without eating well’).
Jetset-magnet towns, such as Chamonix, St Moritz and Gstaad, are transformed in T-shirt weather, with lively shopping streets, alfresco dining and nary a salopette in sight. The weather’s great, the air is clean, the wildlife is plentiful and there are some spectacular panoramic train routes, so you can dispense with hire-car stress or even airports, if you so wish.
Denne historien er fra April 03, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra April 03, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
