Eternal Matterhorn

Matterhorn: the mountain of eternity

Matterhorn is a mountain which inspired so many artists. It is 4.478 m tall and its shape, seen from the Swiss side, is a huge canine tooth. Matterhorn dominates the fairy-tale mountain valleys surrounding it. It has four faces: South, West, East, North. They are all slightly different and can give Matterhorn different identities.

Wallis is the Swiss canton where it is possible to admire my favorite East face; the town of Zermatt has something poetic. My favorite points of view are the lake Grindjisee, where the larches create an interesting frame of the lake. I also love to admire the majestic view of Gorner glacier leading to the Matterhorn from mount Gornergrat. Some other famous points of view where it is possible to contemplate and immortalize the peak of eternity and its reflection are Stellisee and Riffelsee; but there are so many other little lakes around the mountains near Zermatt.

My experiences in front of the Matterhorn

The first time I visited Switzerland as a landscape photographer was at the end of December 2016. Yes, doesn't look so long ago, and so many things happened in the meantime until now. I had traveled in Engadin, during winter holidays, when I was a child; I can remember very few memories from those of my childhood and often confused with other winter holidays in other places. So I needed new memories and, first of all, my wish was to see the Matterhorn.

I can remember so well when I arrived in Zermatt, a town where it is only possible to arrive by train. Then I took the rack railway, "Gornergrat Bahn"; I had bought the ticket for the last stop, mount Gornergrat.

I arrived at about 3100 meters high, took a lift in front of the railway and suddenly I was in front of an outstanding building with even an astronomical observatory: the Kulmhotel Gornergrat. 

Not so far from the Kulmhotel Gornergrat, a little bit higher up, I was able to admire Matterhorn and not only! A giant of the Alps was the origin of the Gorner glacier: Dufourspitze, called Monte Rosa, on the italian side. On the right of Monte Rosa, there is Lyskamm, then Castor and Pollux. I will dedicate a blog post to celebrate my feelings in front of those summits on a full Moon night.

That evening, my first one in Switzerland after so many years, was purely beautiful, even if the best of the sunset show was above Dufourspitze, where the Moon, which was just rising, was surrounded by a rose of pink clouds. 

After that evening, full of positive vibes, I visited Gornergrat and the surroundings of Zermatt several times, and I also hiked to Monte Rosa Hutte and Grindjisee.

In that variety of landscapes, forests and desolate areas with green stones, some of the highest peaks in the Alps are the kings of the valleys; they let their white mantles come down and create waterfalls and streams. 

Last time I saw Matterhorn was at the end of October 2019, when I captured "The roots of eternity" in front of Grindjisee. It's so strange that in 2020 I spent almost all summer in Switzerland and never visited Zermatt anymore. For sure there are so many places to explore in the Swiss Alps, that last summer I decided to see the West part of Wallis and other areas in Switzerland. But I still think there is a world to explore in the area of Zermatt!

My favorite fine art print of the Matterhorn

"The roots of the eternity" is a picture of Matterhorn printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta. In my online shop you will find a medium and a large size (small edition is coming soon). This landscape was immortalized on my camera during the sunrise of November 1st 2019 (yes, I still remember the date). The autumn colors are still visible and the peak of Matterhorn, illuminated by a weak alpenglow, is contrasting a blue sky which is becoming brighter and brighter, welcoming the sunshine. Some roots I found on the foreground near Grindjisee are leading to the symbol of eternity.  This picture was awarded as 3rd place in the International Landscape Photographer of the Year awards together with "Nocturnal Souls" "Bowel of Earth" and "Life and the volcano".