Italy's Piedmont and Val d'Aosta from Above

While the peak of the mighty Matterhorn technically lies in Switzerland, the mountain actually straddles the Swiss-Italian border.  In this magnificent drone video by former Drone Video of the Week Winner Frame Hunters Media, you'll be treated to some astounding footage from the Italian side of the mountain.  The video was filmed along the Lion Ridge, which divides the western and southern faces of the near-perfectly symmetrical "pyramid" shaped peak.  The mountain has a peak altitude of 14.7k ft. above sea level, or just under 4.5k m.  

Val d'Aosta is the smallest of Italy's 20 official regions and possibly its most beautiful.  It is located in the northwestern part of the country, partly surrounded by the larger Piedmont region.  It's essentially a single valley within the Italian Alps, created by some of the highest mountains in the system.  These include Monte Rosa, the highest peak of Switzerland and the second highest in the Alps.  In this video, contributor Dronescapes by Atellani gives us a spectacular bird's eye view these magnificent mountains.

Contributor Ori Feldman brought a DJI Mavic Pro drone along on an epic trip up to Italy's highest mountain to create this amazing video.  It's shot in the area around Monte Rosa, Italy's highest mountain peak at just over 4.6k meters (about 15.2k ft.), and the second highest peak in the Alps.  The mountain massif covers portions of the Val d'Aosta and Piedmont regions of Italy, with a portion on Swiss soil.  It lies to the east of the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc, the latter being the highest peak in the  Alps.

Top contributor Dronescapes by Atellani used a Zenmuse X7 camera mounted to a DJI Inspire 2 drone to create this spectacular aerial video of Italy's second-largest lake.  Lake Maggiore is in the northwestern part of the country, on the border with Switzerland.  It's Italian shoreline is shared by the Piedmont and Lombardy regions.  It's a long narrow lake which runs about 65 km (around 40 mi.) north to south.  Although not as large as Lake Garda nor as well known as Lake Como, it is nonetheless one of Italy's natural treasures. 

Some of the world's most impressive fortresses are located in the mountain passes of Europe which separated different kingdoms in historical times.  Among the greatest of these is Fort Fenestrelle in northwestern Italy.  It was built in what was then the Kingdom of Savoy to guard the approaches to the great city of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy.  Contributor Maxfrompine used a DJI Mavic Pro to create this epic aerial tour of this landmark, the largest alpine fortress in Europe.  

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist Kpax brings us this excellent drone video from a stunning mountain valley in northern Italy.  The Val Veny is part of the Mont Blanc Masif, home to the highest peak of the Alps Mountains.  The valley is located southwest of Mont Blanc (the peak of which is on French territory) in the Italian region of Val de Aosta.  The valley was formed by the Miage and Brenva Glaciers, the latter of which is the second-longest glacier in Italy.  The video was filmed with a DJI Mini 3 Pro drone.  

Langhe is a hilly area in the province of Cuneo in northern Italy.  Cuneo is part of Italy's Piedmont region, which occupies the northwestern corner of the country near the border with France.  In this video, top AirVuz contributor and drone pilot Dronescapes by Atellani treats us to an aerial tour of three of the main villages of the area, Serralunga, D'Alba Bossolasco, and Perletto.  Prepare to be amazed by the views of the rolling hills of the Piedmont countryside,compliments of one of the top content creators in the AirVuz community.

Top AirVuz contributor and pilot Dronescapes by Atellani created this spectacular video of one of the tallest towers built in medieval Italy.  The Castello di Camino (Camino Castle) was built in the 11th century in the town of the same name, which lies in the Italian Alps in the Piedmont region, a bit to the east of the regional capital city Turin (Torino).  This historical gem is a somewhat "forgotten" treasure of Italy; it has a private US owner and has not undergone any type of substantial restoration.

Val de Formazza is a valley in the extreme north of Italy, in its Piedmont region.  It is situated in one of the sub-ranges of the Alps which lie across northern Italy.  The valley is surrounded by eight main mountains, the highest of which rises to an elevation of around 3.4k meters (a bit over 11k ft) above sea level.  Top AirVuz contributor and pilot Dronescapes by Atellani used a DJI Zenmuse X7 camera mounted to a DJI Inspire 2 drone to create this stunning aerial video of the beautiful alpine valley.

Contributor Maxfrompine created this stunning drone video of Sestriere and Cesana, two skiing areas in the Italian Alps.  Both are located in Italy's Piedmont region, west of the regional capital city Turin.  In February, 2006, Sestiere took world center stage as one of the main skiing venues for the XX Winter Olympics, which was hosted by Turin.  It's considered one of the top skiing spots in the Alps.  Cesana is very close to the border with France and has historically had considerable military significance.  

Lago D'Orta is one of the lakes of Italy's Piedmont region in the northwestern part of the country.  It is easily accessible on the railroad that connects the Piedmontese capital of Turin to the city of Milan in the neighboring region of Lombardy.  In this video, top contributor Dronescapes by Atellani used a Zenmuse X7 camera attached to a DJI Inspire 2 drone to create this amazing bird's eye view of the beautiful alpine lake, including the iconic looking architecture of the buildings on San Giulio Island.

Contributor fpl1996 created this stunning drone video from three of the more stunning spots in northwestern Italy.  The first area is that around Monte Rosa, Italy's highest peak.  It sits in the region of Val d'Aosta in the Italian Alps.  Next stop is Val d'Ossola, in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Piedmont region.  Finally, he will take you to Lake Maggiore, Italy's second largest lake, which sits on the border of Italy's Piedmont and Lombardy provinces as well as the border with Switzerland.

Contributor Dronescapes by Atellani created this marvelous drone video of a monastery in Piedmont, Italy called the Sacra di San Michele.  Settlement in the area dates to the Antiquity, with the present monastery having been built in either the 10th or 11th century AD.  Also known as St. Michael's Abbey, this landmark has an important place in 20th century literature: it served as the inspiration for the monastery in Umberto Eco's 1980 novel The Name of the Rose, one of the bestselling works of fiction ever.

Check out this fantastic drone video from the summit of a well-known mountain in the Italian Alps, compliments of contributor Mad Eagle Prod (Dav Baz).  Using a DJI Mavic Pro 2, he filmed the mist-enshrouded summit of Rocciamelone, which is situated in the northwestern region of Piedmont.  The mountain, which is a short distance from the French border, has a peak elevation of just over 3.5k meters above sea level or 11.6k ft.  Technically part of the Graian Alps, it's one of the more popular mountain hiking destinations in the region.   

Fénis, Italy is home to one of the most famous castles in northern Italy - the Fénis Castle. The medieval landmarks’s architecture, towers, and battlemented walls have made it a top tourist attraction in the region. Located in the mountains of far northwestern corner of the country, the Aosta Valley is an autonomous region (surrounded on the Italian side by the Piedmont region) whose people speak both Italian and French. AirVuz contributor Dronescapes by Atellani gives us a phenomenal aerial view of the historic castle.

AirVuz contributor and drone pilot oharke85 headed to the Italian Alps for some late-season skiing. The slopes weren’t great; the melting snow causing some very icy conditions.  That didn't affect the beauty of the place, home of the highest mountains in Italy and some of its most stunning natural scenery.  The drone footage he was able to shoot with the DJI Mavic Zoom was incredible.  We hope he was able to enjoy Piedmont’s famously sophisticated cuisine and wines while he was there!

The Basilica di Superga is an important church near the city of Turin, the capital of Italy's (northern) Piedmont region.  The church was built in the early 18th century, in connection with the defeat by France in the Battle of Turin during the conflict known as the Wars of the Spanish Succession.  The church is the final resting place for many members of the House of Savoy, one of the great royal lines of Europe.  Get a great bird's eye view of this beautiful baroque-style church in this drone video.  

In this drone video by top AirVuz contributor Kpax, you'll be treated to marvelous aerial views of two well known lake islands in Italy's (northwestern) Piedmont region.  The first spot is San Giulio on Lake Orta, which lies on Lake Orta.  The tiny island is dominated by its Basilica di San Giulio.  The second featured spot is a group of three small islands called Borromean on Lake Maggiore, Italy's second-largest lake, which lies on the border with both Switzerland and Italy's Lombardy region.

Cervina is one of the most popular ski areas in Italy.  It's at the foot of the Matterhorn in the Aosta Valley (Val d'Aosta) region in the northwestern part of the country, very near the Swiss border (the peak of the Matterhorn is in Switzerland but much of its base is in Italy).  It shares the great mountain with Zermatt, the better known ski resort which lies on the Swiss side of the Matterhorn.  In this video by contributor BrianCortinovis, you'll get a great bird's eye view of Cervinia in the warmer months.  

Some of Europe's most powerful fortresses were built in the passes of the Alps Mountains near the modern-day French/Italian border.  One of these fortifications is Fort Bard, which is built on a rocky promontory in the Aosta Valley of northwestern Italy.  Seen in this excellent drone video by Enrico Pescantini, the fortress was built in the mid-19th century by the rulers of the Kingdom of Savoy (which led the unification of Italy).  The fort was used as a filming location for the 2015 blockbuster movie Avengers: Age of Ultron.  

Check out these fantastic drone views of the glaciers in some of the highest mountains of the Alps, compliments of AirVuz contributor DronePilot01.  The video was filmed in northwestern Italy, around the Monte Rosa masif.  Part of the Pennine Alps, the Monte Rosa group of mountains straddles the Swiss-Italian border; three of its four faces are in the Italian regions of Piedmont and Val d'Aosta.  The masif's main peak is the second-highest in the Alps, and it also includes the Matterhorn, which is known as Monte Cervino in Italy.  

Check out this fantastic wintertime drone video of a small hilltop town in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, compliments of AirVuz contributor Eddyzax.  The video was shot on a winter day over the commune of Diano d'Alba in Cuneo, the southernmost of Piedmont's eight provinces.  It's about a 45 minute drive southeast of the city of Turin, the regional capital and second-largest city of northern Italy after Milan.  The area is part of a hilly region of Piedmont between the plains to the east and the mountains to the west.  

Take in these stunning drone views from some of the highest mountains in the Alps, compliments of DronePilot01.  The video was shot near the mountain known in Italy as Monte Cervino and in Switzerland as the Matterhorn, which is part of the Pennine Alps and which straddles the Swiss-Italian border.  The mountain is part of the Monte Rosa masif, whose namesake is the second-highest peak in the Alps after Mont Blanc and which covers parts of the Piedmont and Val d'Aosta regions of Italy as well as Switzerland's canton of Valais.  

AirVuz contributor Servizicondrone brings us this excellent drone video from a tiny island on Italy's Lake Orta.  San Giulio Island lies in the middle of the lake, which is situated a bit to the west of the larger Lake Maggiore in the northwestern region of Piedmont.  The lake's only true island measures about 900 ft. long (275 m) by about 460 ft. wide at its widest (around 140 m).  The main structure on the island, which you'll see prominently in the video, is the Basilica di San Giulio, parts of which date to the 5th century AD. 

Top AirVuz contributor and pilot Capchure.ch brings us this fantastic drone video from the heart of the Italian Alps.  The video was filmed around the commune of Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley.  Surrounded by some of the highest peaks of the entire Alps the valley (Val d'Aosta) is one of the official regions of Italy, albeit the smallest in terms of land area and population.  The region borders both France and Switzerland, and on the Italian side it's entirely surrounded by the region of Piedmont.  

Prepare to be amazed by FPV drone view of one of the great landmarks of nothern Italy: Saint Michael's Abbey (Sacra di San Michele).   The video was created by AirVuz contributor FPVFlow using a DJI Mavic 3 gimbal-stabilized drone to set up the FPV shots.  Located in the Susa Valley about a half hour drive west of the city of Turin, the main church of the monastery dates to the 12th century.  Famously, it provided the inspiration for Umberto Eco's 1980 debut novel the Name of the Rose, one of the all-time bestselling books in history.  

Castle of Grinzane Cavour is an important landmark in northern Italy.  It's situated in Grinzane Cavour in Cuneo, one of the seven provinces of the Piedmont region.  It was built sometime in the 13th or 14th century.  Among its residents was Camillo Benso (the Count of Cavour), one of the leaders credited with establishing the modern state of Italy in the 19th century.  Recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, you can see the castle from above in this drone video by One Minute Channel. 

Contributor and drone pilot Kpax created this stunning aerial video of a mountain pass and alpine lake in northern Italy.  The pass is called Nivolet Pass, and it connects the city of Turin with the town of Ceresole Reale, both of which lie in the Piedmont region.  The video also features footage of Agnel Lake, which is located near the pass.  The road leading to the lake was a primary filming scene for the 1969 comedy film The Italian Job, considered one of the top 3-4 dozen British films of all time. 

In this piece, top AirVuz contributor Kpax continues his series of drone videos from the Mont Blanc Massif in the heart of the Alps Mountains system.  The video was filmed on the Val Ferret, a mountain valley in the Aosta Valley Region of northern Italy.  The valley is actually one of two with the same name, the other being on the Swiss side of the nearby border.  Lying just a bit to the southeast of Mont Blanc (which is itself on French territory), the Italian Val Ferret drains into the Po River.   

AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) drone pilot FPVFlow brings us this excellent FPV tour of a famous fortress in northern Italy.  The Fort of Exilles is located in the Susa Valley, just west of the city of Turin in the region of Piedmont.  One of a group of fortresses which once guarded the border between the lands of the House of Savoy (predecessor to the modern state of Italy) and France.  The current fortress was built in the 1820's following the destruction of an earlier structure on the same site by Napoleon Bonaparte.  

Check out these drone views of Italy's Gran Paradiso National Park, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot Marchino.  The park lies in the Graian Alps, a western subrange of the broader Alps system which covers portions of Italy, France, and Switzerland.  The park is named after Gran Paradiso Mountain, which has a peak elevation of 4.06k meters above sea level or around 13.3k ft.  Covering over 700 square km (around 230 square mi.), the park sits on the border between the Piedmont and Val d'Osta regions of northwestern Italy.  

Take in these drone videos of a town on one of Italy's largest lakes, compliments of contributor Alessandrone.  Arona is located on the western bank of Lake Maggiore, Italy's second-largest lake by surface area.  It's part of the province of Novara, one of seven which make up the official region of Piedmont.  The area covered by the town has been occupied since pre-historic times, as evidenced by the nearby pre-historic pile dwellings which are part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Arona is a short drive from the city of Milan.  

The Castle of Grinzane Cavour is a historic defensive fortification in the Piedmont region of northern Italy.  It's situated in the commune of Grinzane Cavour, which is part of the province of Cuneo.  The original structure dates to the 13th or 14th century.  The structure later served as a residence for a series of important Italian nobles, notably Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, who is credited with leading the unification of modern Italy in the 19th century.  The castle became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014.  

Check out this drone video of a castle in northern Italy, compliments of AirVuz contributor Viky Dog. Castello di Proh is situated in the municipality of Briona in Novara, one of the provinces of the Piedmont region.  Proh Castle originally dates to the 15th century.  It has been modified extensively, and during the 19th century it served as a farmhouse.  Located about an hour's drive from the regional capital city of Turin, the castle sits at the edge of the plain of Piedmont, near the Novara Hills.    

Italy's Fenestrelle Fortress overlooks its namesake town in the Metropolitan City of Turin.  As the largest alpine fortification in Europe, the massive attraction covers an incredibly large area of 1.3 million square meters (about 140 million square ft.). Built between 1728 and 1850, the fortress guards the access to Turin, Italy via the Chisone Valley. After World War II,  the fort was abandoned and left to decay. See Fenestrelle Fort from above in this drone video by AirVuz contributor Liggephoto.

Check out this excellent drone video of some well-known islands in Italy's Lake Maggiore, compliments of AirVuz contributor Servizicondrone.  The Borromean Islands lie on the western arm of the lake, which is part of the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the region of Piedmont (most of the eastern side of the lake is in the province of Varese in Lombardy, while the lake's northern tip is in Switzerland).  The two main islands shown in the video are Isola Bella and Isola dei Pescatori, which are separated by a small islet.  

Take a first person view (FPV) drone tour of a town on Italy's fabled Lake Maggiore, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot noahmalin.  The town of Oggebbio is located on the western shore of the lake in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, which is part of the region of Piedmont.  Most of the eastern side of the 40 mi. long (64 km) lake lies in the neighboring region of Lombardy, while its northern tip lies in Switzerland.  Maggiore is Italy's second-largest lake, after Lake Garda.   

For a first upload to AirVuz, brand-new contributor Eddyzax brings us this excellent drone video of a small hilltop town near the foothills of the Alps Mountains in northern Italy.  The video was shot on a winter day over the commune of Diano d'Alba in Cuneo, the southernmost of the eight provinces of the region of Piedmont.  It's about a 45 minute drive southeast of the city of Turin, the capital of the Piedmont Region.  It's part of a hilly region of Piedmont between the plains to the east and the mountains to the west.  

Prepare to be amazed by this stunning Drone Video of the Week nominee of the Italian side of the mighty Matterhorn mountain by top contributor Dronescapes by Atellani.  The Matterhorn is one of the world's most iconic mountains.  It straddles the Swiss/Italian border, although technically the peak is in Switzerland and the nearest city the Swiss town of Zermatt.  While it isn't the highest peak in the great range (that would be Mont Blanc), it's certainly the most well recognized, with its distinctive pyramid shape.  

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist Alessandrone brings us this excellent drone video from the Langhe area of northern Italy.  The Langhe covers portions of the provinces Cuneo and Asti, both of which are part of the Piedmont region in the northwestern part of the country.  The Langhe area is particularly well known for its wine, cheese, and truffles.  Much of the Langhe has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.   The video features excellent footage of the hilltop villages which dot the Langhe landscape. 

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist Kpax brings us this excellent drone video of the famed Formazza Valley in the Italian Alps.  The valley is in province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, on the border with Switzerland.  The valley is of historic strategic significance, as it formed an important component of a route connecting Italy through the Alps with the rest of Europe.  The valley begins about 100 mi. (around 160 km) northeast of Piedmont's regional capital, Turin.  

For a first upload to AirVuz, brand-new contributor Never Stop Exploring brings us this magnificent drone video of a famous Italian monastery complex called St. Michael's Abbey (Sacra di San Michele).  It's located in the Susa Valley just west of Turin, the capital of the Piedmont region.  The monastery dates to the 10th century AD, possibly earlier; its main church dates to the 12th century.  The abbey gained further fame as the inspiration for Umberto Eco's 1980 debut novel The Name of the Rose, which sold over 50 million copies.  

Lake Maggiore is one of the largest lakes in the Alps region.  It forms part of the border between Italy and Switzerland and between the two Italian regions of Lombardy and Piedmont.  The lake is overlooked by some of the highest mountains of the range, including Mt. Rosa, Italy's tallest.  Famously, Lake Maggiore was featured in Ernest Hemingway's immortal World War I work, A Farewell to Arms (first published in 1929).  In the book, the two main characters use the lake to escape to the safety of neutral Switzerland.

Top contributor Dronescapes by Atellani created this beautiful drone video from around Italy, mostly in its Piedmont region.  Locations include Lake Orta, the Mottarone mountains, the Sacra di San Michele and Forte dei Marmi (in Tuscany)  and the famed Cervinia ski resort in Italy, near the Cervino Mountain (known as the Matterhorn on the Swiss side of the border).  Piedmont is a semi-autonomous region of the country, occupying its northwest corner.  It is home to the highest mountains in Italy.  

Top AirVuz contributor Kpax earned a Drone Video of the Week Finalist spot in November, 2024 with this outstanding drone video from Italy's Monte Rosa, the second-tallest mountain in the Alps.  The video was filmed over the mountain's eastern face, which lies in the Piedmont and Aosta Valley regions of Italy.  Monte Rosa's summit has an elevation of 15.2k ft. above sea level (just over 4.2k m), second only to Mt. Blanc in France amongst the peaks of the Alps.  The video was filmed with a DJI Air 3 drone.