For the best of Switzerland and Italy, go skiing on the Matterhorn

The Italians call the Matterhorn Monte Cervino, and in the local dialect it’s known as Gran Becca, or Great Peak. — Photos: BERNHARD KRIEGER/dpa

The Matterhorn has made the once poor village of Zermatt rich, and world-famous. People from all over the world flock to the foot of the spectacular mountain, which rises pyramid-like 4,478m into the pure alpine sky. It is one of the most photographed peaks in the world.

What many people don’t realise is that car-free Zermatt shares not only the view of the iconic peak, but also the surrounding ski area with the down-to-Earth municipality of Breuil-Cervinia in the Aosta Valley, across the border in Italy.