AltaValSusa photos on Flickr

The Immaterial World by Roberto Bertero

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This is an intersection of slopes in the upper Susa Valley (Italy), a landscape lost in a thousand delicate veils of mist... almost like a hand trying to grasp the intangible.

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To the Wonder by Roberto Bertero

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This is a star trail taken from the summit of mount Rocciamelone (3,538 meters / 11,603 feet), Susa Valley, Italy, during the night of June 27th, 2011.

I've pointed my camera in direction south in order to include at center image the bright band of the Milky Way aligned with the Monviso north face.

Underneath is visible the usual bank of clouds (a very common element in this area) and the lights of the Susa Valley, 3.000 meters below.

Contrary to what is often done, I've used a 70mm lens for this shot (not a wide angle).

Usually I do not like star trails because they are very bright, featuring overly pronounced paths of the stars, etc... here I've tried to leave intact the magical atmosphere of the night, without missing of course the consequences of Earth's rotation that the camera was able to capture.

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Lightning on a Sea of Clouds by Roberto Bertero

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Shot taken on August 31st 2011 from the Ca d'Asti hut (2.854 m), mount Rocciamelone SSW crest, Italy, overlooking a huge sea of clouds that during the blue hour was covering all the Susa valley below.

The lights from the city of Susa are filtering from beneath the clouds, creating a surreal atmosphere.

Far away, above the Cottian Alps mountain range, you can see the lightnings of a storm... even higher, in the blue sky, the Scorpius constellation.

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Soft Billows of Clouds by Roberto Bertero

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Landscape observed from the alpine refuge Cà d'Asti (2,854 m), Mount Rocciamelone SSW crest, Susa valley, Italy.

As evening approached, the sun was setting and a sea of clouds wrapped with grace the slopes of the adjacent Mount Palon (2,965 m).

A simple moment, almost ordinary for those accustomed to the mountain, nevertheless infinitely precious.

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Rising Moon Halo by Roberto Bertero

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Night shot taken from the summit of mount Chaberton (3,131 m) on October 20th, 2011.

At the horizon you can see the halo generated by the moon before rising.

A huge bank of clouds and mist was hiding the world below...

Two cities are most visible, respectively on the right: Sestriere (2.035 m), the main venue during the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, and Cesana (1.040 m) that shines like a diamond necklace :-)

On top of the mountain between the two cities is visible a tiny dot of light, it's the cable car station Fraiteve (2.702 m).

This is essentially a landscape of clouds and stars, though the constellations begin to be less visible due to the coming moon... however in the night sky can still be clearly distinguished a few constellations: Auriga, Perseus, Aries, Cetus, Pleiades, and, last but not least, planet Jupiter.

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Cloudscape by Roberto Bertero

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Shot taken at dawn from the summit of Mount Rocciamelone (3.538 meters / 11,603 feet), Susa Valley, Italy.

Beneath this infinite sea of clouds lies the Susa Valley.

Caressed by the first sun rays, you can see the ridges of the Orsiera Natural Park, at the horizon well distinguishable the pyramid of Monte Viso.

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Night Above the Valley by Roberto Bertero

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Self-timer shot taken at night in the moonlight. I was contemplating the whole Susa Valley from the alpine refuge Piero Vacca, located at 2.670 meters on the eastern slope of Mount Giusalet.

On my left you can see the summit of Mount Rocciamelone, the most famous mountain of the valley, from which I took tons of photos :-)

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Remote Lands by Roberto Bertero

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This is a very intimate, remote and minimalist shot taken on September 7th 2012, at 6:58 a.m. from the summit of mount Rocciamelone (3.538 m), Italy.

The delicate misty early morning light makes the landscape almost surreal.

I love to photograph the mountains from a more elevated vantage point. First for the pleasure of being there, secondly because it's a way to vary a bit from the usual landscape compositions already seen several times.

The remote lands involved here are the mount Fraiteve (2.701 m), right in the middle of the image, then we have the whole mountain range of the Assietta (2.566 m), Cottian Alps.

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Antarctic Vision by Roberto Bertero

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This is the excellent view that can be enjoyed in the morning, looking north, from the summit of mount Rocciamelone (3,538 meters / 11,603 feet), Susa Valley, Italy.

I've got also a few shots at dawn, but unfortunately the sea of clouds appeared only in the late morning.

Here you can see the glacier below brushed by clouds and also from a recent snowfall... something indeed positive, because unfortunately in the middle of summer this area will return to its classical form of dying glacier...

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Submerged by Roberto Bertero

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Summit shot - also useful from the documentary point of view - taken at sunrise on the top of Mount Rocciamelone (3.538 m), Susa Valley, Italy.

The month is July... but at these altitudes just "a brush" of snow can litterally submerge everything.

Above you can see the lightning rod, the statue of the B.V. Mary, then, below, the chapel, which is actually a Sanctuary, twinned with the other chapel situated at slightly higher altitude on the Monte Rosa, adjacent to the Cabane Giovanni Gnifetti.

Then, on the right of the construction, are visible the door and the window of the unmanaged refuge (I had to dig in the snow to open that door).

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A Shelter for the Night by Roberto Bertero

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Whispered Profiles by Roberto Bertero

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The impalpable soft colors of the evening, with the simple suggestion of a remote sunset fading away above the high peaks of the Orsiera Natural Park (Italy), almost as if mountains have become immaterial...

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Star Trails by Roberto Bertero

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Rocciamelone Summit by Roberto Bertero

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Shot taken on the summit of Mount Rocciamelone (3,538 m - 11,608 ft), Susa Valley, Italy.

I've reached this peak about thirty times, spending at least 25 nights on this summit over the years... and I have collected, to date, 134 valid shots taken from this unique and privileged location.

Only I know the wonders (and the bad weather) I have seen from this summit along the years, but if I had to sum it all up in one sentence, I can only say that every time, up there, it's like being back home...

This is a crystalline sunrise, almost fairytale and apparently above all earthly problems... observed at the foot of the large bronze statue dedicated to the B.V. Mary, which faces east, so in mornings particularly clear, like this one, it's literally flooded with golden light.

The moon, inexorable, continues its slow journey to the west (visible here slightly to the right of the statue).

Bottom left the high Susa Valley, which culminates with Mount Chaberton. Slight on the right the Écrins massif.

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Fort of the Clouds by Roberto Bertero

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This artillery was used during the Second World War.

It is located on the summit of Mont Chaberton, a 3.131 metres (10,272 ft) peak in the French Alps in the group known as the Massif des Cerces in the département of Hautes-Alpes.

This very impressive fortress was dubbed "Fort of the Clouds" and mounted eight 149mm guns in individual masonry turrets, which were often hidden in the clouds.

Built between 1898 and 1910 by the Italians to control the Montgenèvre pass, this fort was then considered as the highest and most powerful of Europe.

Nine soldiers died in this fort, and fifty were wounded.

In this first night picture I've focused the attention on the most damaged tower... it seems to have silently observed, for a long time, the wonders of nature and the madness of men.

An endless carpet of clouds was surrounding the summit, on a starry, insanely cold, windy, silent night.

The next photos will show the rotation of the night sky (Earth's rotation to be precise) in relation to the towers of the fortress.

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Delicate Sunset by Roberto Bertero

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Sunset by Roberto Bertero

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Mt Rocciamelone summit (3,538 m)

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Tree on a Slope by Roberto Bertero

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at sunset

Monti della Luna by Roberto Bertero

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Layers and Tree by Roberto Bertero

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Monti della Luna

Tree by Roberto Bertero

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The Grip of Darkness by Roberto Bertero

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Instagram @roberto.bertero

Shot taken from the summit of mount Rocciamelone (3.538 m), Susa Valley, Italy, portraying the death of the most spectacular sunset I've witnessed in my life.

In the past I have already posted a few photos depicting this event. This is the moment when everything began to fade, almost with fatigue... it just looked like that mighty sunset wasn't willing to be tamed by the inexorable arrival of the night.

In the foreground the mountains of the Mont-Cenis, with the Écrins massif in the distance (easily recognizable the Barre des Écrins).

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Dawn Above the Clouds by Roberto Bertero

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This image was shot 11 minutes later the photo posted yesterday.

I just moved to the side exposed to the east of Mount Chaberton summit (3.131 m), in order to best capture the powerful presence of light when the sun was about to rise.

The immense bank of clouds continued its silent journey, about a thousand meters below.

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Endless Cloudscape by Roberto Bertero

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