Tarentaise Valley

The Tarentaise Valley (French: Vallée de la Tarentaise, pronounced [vale də la taʁɑ̃tɛz]; Arpitan: Tarentèsa) is a valley of the Isère River in the heart of the French Alps, located in the Savoy region of France.

The valley is named for the ancient town of Darantasia, the capital of the pre-Roman Centrones tribe.

The area is internationally best known for its world-renowned ski resorts, including Les Trois Vallées (Courchevel, Méribel, Val Thorens etc.—off a side valley from Moûtiers), Paradiski with La Plagne above Aime, and Les Arcs above Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

In the summer, there is a pass over to the Maurienne Valley at the head of the valley (the Col de l'Iseran), and a couple of others further down, including the Little St Bernard Pass eastwards to Italy via La Rosiere and La Thuile and the Cormet de Roselend northwards.

This road is currently receiving funding from the European Union for a significant improvement project between Aime and Moûtiers, one of the narrowest points in the valley.