Cascate del Rutor

Above La Thuile, meltwater from the Rutor glacier descends through gorges, rock walls and conifer woods in three cascades.

Why it matters

The falls are fed by the Rutor glacier, one of the most extensive ice bodies in Valle d'Aosta, so the water you hear is the direct runoff of a high mountain massif below the Testa del Rutor. What makes the site unusual is its structure: rather than a single drop, the Dora del Rutor stream descends in three distinct waterfalls at 2,030, 1,850 and 1,700 metres, each with its own character. Between them the water pushes through narrow gorges and over bare rock, throwing up a fine spray that keeps the surrounding woods damp and green well into summer. The combination of glacier, gorge and old mule tracks makes this a distinctive natural environment of La Thuile.

What to notice

The three cascades each have a distinct setting. The highest fall, at 2,030 m, sits closest to the glacier's zone and feels the most remote; the middle drop at 1,850 m is where the gorge pinches tightest; the lowest, at 1,700 m, is framed by woodland and carries the site's one deliberate piece of modern design. That is the iron footbridge inaugurated in 2014, which crosses directly in front of the third cascade. The bridge offers a view of the water's force at close range. Sections of the path follow old mule tracks that once served the valley's high pastures. On humid days the mist thrown off the falls creates the microclimate the local beech and fir stands depend on.

Context and history

The waterfalls are the visible work of a long glacial system. The Rutor glacier has retreated and advanced repeatedly, and its meltwater carved the stepped valley profile that produces the three separate drops. The trail network grew out of mule tracks used by shepherds and traders moving between La Thuile and the high pastures of the Rutor valley. The iron footbridge, built in 2014, crosses in front of the third cascade.