Gran Paradiso

<h2 id="etymology">Etymology</h2>
<p>The Italian toponym <i>Gran Paradiso</i> derives, via the French <i>Grand Paradis</i>, as a mistranslation from the <a href="/facts/Vald%C3%B4tain_dialect/PBkDfWu2">Aosta Valley patois</a> <i>Granta Parey</i>, which originally means 'large wall'. It is the same etymology as nearby Granta Parey [fr; it].<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a>
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<h2 id="geography">Geography</h2>
<p>The peak is the 7th highest <a href="/facts/Mountain/wboT5GJc">mountain</a> in the <a href="/facts/Graian_Alps/6hf8tmAH">Graian Alps</a>, with an elevation of 4,061 m. In the <a href="/facts/SOIUSA/WUQKzRaS">SOIUSA</a> (<i>International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps</i>) the mountain belongs to an alpine subsection called <i>"North-Eastern Graian Alps"</i>  (<a href="/facts/Italian_language/YXsmvlQG">It</a>:<i>Alpi del Gran Paradiso</i>; <a href="/facts/French_language/qe1DnaQh">Fr</a>:<i>Alpes du Grand-Paradis</i>) and also gives its name to the <i>gruppo del Gran Paradiso</i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a>
</p><p>While the <a href="/facts/Mont_Blanc_massif/kX1bKLWh">Mont Blanc massif</a> straddles the border between France and Italy, the Gran Paradiso is the only mountain whose summit reaches over 4,000 metres that is entirely within Italian territory.
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<h2 id="routes">Routes</h2>
<p>Climbs normally start from either the <a href="/facts/Refuge_Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chabod/ud1RR6dW">Refuge Frédéric Chabod</a> or the <a href="/facts/Refuge_Victor-Emmanuel_II/xDHLXxLz">Refuge Victor-Emmanuel II</a>. The latter is named after <a href="/facts/Victor_Emmanuel_II_of_Italy/t3PbhgCp">Victor Emmanuel II of Italy</a> who created the Gran Paradiso royal reserve in 1856, presently the site of the <a href="/facts/Gran_Paradiso_National_Park/b4rW3IzG">Gran Paradiso National Park</a>.
</p><p>It is widely accepted that Gran Paradiso is one of the easiest four-thousanders to summit. This is not fully true, however, because while almost the entire route to the ridge is graded at <a href="/facts/Grade_(climbing)/1lMDzC54">F+</a>, the last several dozen metres to the Virgin Mary (or Madonna) summit (<a href="/facts/Italian_language/YXsmvlQG">Italian</a>: <i>Cima della Madonna</i>, <a href="/facts/French_language/qe1DnaQh">French</a>: <i>Pointe de la Madone</i> or <a href="/facts/French_language/qe1DnaQh">French</a>: <i>Pointe de la Vierge</i> – 4058 m) comprises rock climbing with considerable <a href="/facts/Exposure_(heights)/rIDwPNcD">exposure</a>, with difficulties of grade I UIAA, while access to the proper main summit (4061 m) requires 15 minutes of climbing up to grade II UIAA. Gran Paradiso is popular with novice alpinists and many of these only climb to the Madonna summit.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a>
</p><p>In addition to the main summit routes, Gran Paradiso possesses a steep snow/ice North West Face, which can be climbed at AD+ from the <a href="/facts/Refuge_Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chabod/ud1RR6dW">Refuge Frédéric Chabod</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a>
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<h2 id="nature-conservation">Nature conservation</h2>
<p>Gran Paradiso is located in the <a href="/facts/Gran_Paradiso_National_Park/b4rW3IzG">Gran Paradiso National Park</a>, an Italian <a href="/facts/National_park/otRgEoQ3">national park</a> named after the mountain.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> On the French side of the border, the park is continued by the <a href="/facts/Vanoise_National_Park/GcB1Pwxe">Vanoise National Park</a>.
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<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul>
<li>Alps portal</li></ul>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/List_of_4000_metre_peaks_of_the_Alps/6Ln9xn09">List of 4000 metre peaks of the Alps</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Gran_Paradiso_massif/wKeCfpYa">Gran Paradiso massif</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="maps">Maps</h2>
<ul><li>Italian official cartography (<i><a href="/facts/Istituto_Geografico_Militare/6ssrlgCv">Istituto Geografico Militare</a></i> - IGM); on-line version: <a href="http://www.pcn.minambiente.it/viewer/">www.pcn.minambiente.it</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Istituto_Geografico_Centrale/mVuEcY5k">I.G.C.</a> (<i>Istituto Geografico Centrale</i>) - Carta dei sentieri e dei rifugi  1:50.000 scale n.3 <i>Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso</i> and 1:25.000 n.101 <i>Gran Paradiso, La Grivola, Cogne</i></li></ul>
<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li><a href="http://www.ebyte.it/logcabin/gabriellaf/GranParadiso.html">Ebyte.it</a>, Gran Paradiso massif, a panorama with the names of all peaks</li></ul>

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gran Paradiso Massif.

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Henry, Joseph-Marie (1937). Vieux noms patois de localités valdôtaines (in French). Le Messager valdôtain. <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>Marazzi, Sergio (2005). Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA (in Italian). Priuli & Verlucca. p. 113. ISBN 978-88-8068-273-8. <a href="978-88-8068-273-8" target="_blank">978-88-8068-273-8</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>Moran, Martin (2007). The 4000m Peaks of the Alps - Selected Climbs. The Alpine Club. ASIN B00JYHLOL4. <a href="/wiki/ASIN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ASIN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:4"><p>Moran, Martin (2007). The 4000m Peaks of the Alps - Selected Climbs. The Alpine Club. ASIN B00JYHLOL4. <a href="/wiki/ASIN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ASIN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:5"><p>"Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso". parks.it. Retrieved 28 January 2015. <a href="http://www.parks.it/parco.nazionale.gran.paradiso/Epar.php" target="_blank">http://www.parks.it/parco.nazionale.gran.paradiso/Epar.php</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Gran Paradiso open-in-new

Gran Paradiso