Plan Maison, Ski resort in Valtournenche, Italy
Plan Maison is a mountain station at around 2,560 meters (8,400 ft) in the upper Valtournenche valley, in the Aosta Valley region, sitting at the heart of the cross-border ski area that links Breuil-Cervinia on the Italian side with Zermatt in Switzerland. The station is the main arrival point for the gondola coming up from Cervinia and serves as the central hub where skiers connect to lifts heading in several directions across the mountain.
The station was developed in the mid-20th century as part of a planned expansion of the Cervinia ski area, with the specific goal of creating a direct link to the Swiss side near Zermatt. Over the following decades, the lift network around it grew steadily, turning the upper Valtournenche from a remote pasture zone into a major winter crossing point between the two countries.
The name "Plan Maison" comes from the Franco-Provençal language once spoken across the Aosta Valley, and it simply means "flat house", referring to the level ground where the station sits. Visitors arriving here notice a mix of Italian and Walliser mountain habits, from the food served in the huts to the way guides and lift staff move between the two sides of the border.
The station is reached by gondola from Cervinia, which runs regularly throughout the winter season, so you do not need a car to get there once you are in the village. If you plan to visit outside peak winter season, it is worth checking in advance whether the access road to the gondola base is open.
Plan Maison sits almost directly opposite the Matterhorn's south face, giving riders on the gondola from Cervinia a straight-on view of the peak that gets closer with every meter of altitude gained. This angle is rarely seen from other points in the area, since most viewpoints in the valley catch the mountain from a more oblique angle.
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