The Gran Paradiso (french: Grand Paradis), the 7th highest mountain in the Graian Alps with Mont Blanc being the highest, is located between the Aosta Valley and Piedmont, regions of north-west Italy. The peak is close to Mont Blanc on the nearby border with France, but lies entirely within Italian territory. The Gran Paradiso is the only mountain whose summit reaches over 4,000 metres that is entirely within Italian territory.
The highest summit was first reached on September 4, 1860 by J. J. Cowell, W. Dundas, J. Payot and J. Tairraz. Today it is generally considered an easy climb, except for the last 60 metres to the top. Climbs normally start from either the Rifugio Chabod or the Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele. The latter is named after Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy who created the Gran Paradiso royal reserve in 1856, presently Gran Paradiso National Park.
