Monte Rosa

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For other uses, see Monte Rosa, São Tomé and Príncipe.

Monte Rosa, seen from the Gornergrat above Zermatt

A typical winter view of Monte Rosa from Malpensa international airport

Monte Rosa is a mountain massif located in the Italian regions Piedmont and Aosta Valley and in the canton of Valais (Wallis) of Switzerland. It is in the Pennine Alps, the same mountain range as the Matterhorn. The Dufourspitze is the highest peak of the Monte Rosa massif and at 4,634m is also the highest peak in Switzerland.

Its name is said to derive not from the Italian "rosa" ("pink") colour, as many think, but from a Patois term meaning "glacier", variously spelled as rouese, rouja or roisa.

On clear days - which are quite a common occurrence, given the not-so-rainy climate - the mountainous massif of Monte Rosa provides a striking view from the Padan plain, particularly its upper reaches in western Lombardy and eastern Piedmont. It dominates the horizon, towering between other lesser Alpine peaks as a prominent, multi-pointed, razor-sharp bulge, its permanent glaciers shining under the sun. The view is particularly beautiful from Malpensa international airport terminal, to the delight of incoming tourists.

Monte Rosa massif also hosts several appreciated ski resorts with long pistes. Plateau Rosa, about 3,500 meters high above sea level, is a renowned summer ski resort, with permanent snow all year round due to the altitude. The Plateau Rosa is connected via aerial tramway to Cervinia and to Zermatt via the Klein Matterhorn. The western fringes of the massif reach the Zermatt ski domain. Gressoney, Champoluc, Alagna Valsesia and Macugnaga (under the impressive east face, intensely glaciated and some 2,500 meters high) are the main mountain and ski resorts that surround Monte Rosa along its southern side. Hence most mountaineering fans can try their luck with the mountain. Monte Rosa is not difficult to climb in itself, despite hosting some quite impressive ridges, but can be quite dangerous for rookies and veterans alike, due to sudden weather changes and crevasses in its extensive glaciers, one of the few remaining major glaciated areas in the Alps.