# Monte Rosa: Punta Dufour is 4,634 m high > Punta Dufour on Monte Rosa is 4,634 m, second in the Alps after Mont Blanc. Around 30 summits pass 4,000 m, and Europe's highest hut stands at 4,554 m. URL: https://myitalia.it/nature/monte-rosa Last updated: 2026-09-11 Monte Rosa's highest point, the Punta Dufour, is 4,634 meters, the second highest summit of the whole Alpine chain, on a massif shared by the Aosta Valley, Piedmont and the Swiss canton of Valais. ## Second in the Alps, behind Mont Blanc The Punta Dufour reaches 4,634 meters and ranks second in the Alps, behind Mont Blanc, which Italian sources put at 4,808.72 meters. The Dufour stands on the Italian and Swiss border, so the top of the massif is shared with Switzerland. Which Monte Rosa summit is the highest one lying entirely in Italy hasn't been verified for this page. The ranking is settled; the decimals are the Italian sources' reading. ## A massif of 30 summits and 220 km2 of ice Monte Rosa counts around 30 summits above 4,000 meters and around 220 square kilometers of glaciers. The glacier figure is the one to distrust. It shrinks as the ice retreats, and it needs rechecking against current surveys rather than repeating from one guide to the next. The Gorner glacier on the massif runs for 12 kilometers. ## A hut at 4,554 meters The Capanna Regina Margherita stands on the Punta Gnifetti at 4,554 meters and is the highest mountain hut in Europe. It's a destination for climbers with glacier experience, not a lift day. Its opening season, booking system and prices are not among the facts here, so ask the hut's operator before you plan around a night up there. ## A three-way border The massif marks a three-way border: the Aosta Valley, Piedmont and the Swiss canton of Valais. On the Italian side, the Aosta Valley is the smallest region in the country, 3,260.9 square kilometers with 74 comuni and no provinces. Its ground runs from 345 meters to the top of Mont Blanc, which gives you the scale of the climb from the valley floor. Plan the Italian approach region by region. The massif is one mountain on the map and two regional administrations on the ground, each with its own valleys, lifts and rules. ## Monte Rosa and the Cervino The Cervino, the other famous border peak of the Aosta Valley, is lower at 4,478 meters. In the data they are different kinds of mountain: one summit and one height for the Cervino, and for Monte Rosa a whole massif of summits and glaciers. See [the Cervino](/nature/cervino), [the Aosta Valley](/regions/valle-d-aosta), [Piedmont](/regions/piemonte) and [mountains in Italy](/themes/mountains). ## What isn't on this page No lift timetable is published for the Italian valleys in the sources used here, and no ski pass price either. The access routes from Piedmont and the Aosta Valley, and the season of the huts, are logged as gaps for the next round of research. ## FAQ ### How high is Monte Rosa? 4,634 meters at the Punta Dufour, the second highest summit in the Alps after Mont Blanc. The massif around it counts around 30 summits above 4,000 meters and around 220 square kilometers of glaciers. ### Is Monte Rosa in Italy or Switzerland? Both. The massif marks the border between the Aosta Valley, Piedmont and the Swiss canton of Valais, and its highest point, the Punta Dufour at 4,634 meters, sits on the line between the two countries. ### What is the highest mountain hut in Europe? The Capanna Regina Margherita, at 4,554 meters on the Punta Gnifetti of Monte Rosa. It is a glacier destination for equipped climbers, and its season and booking rules are not among the facts verified here. ### Is Monte Rosa higher than the Matterhorn? Yes. The Punta Dufour is 4,634 meters and the Cervino, the Matterhorn, is 4,478. Both stand on the border with Switzerland, and the Italian side of both reaches into the Aosta Valley. ## Sources | Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until | |---|---|---|---| | La Punta Dufour del Monte Rosa raggiunge 4.634 metri ed e' la seconda cima piu' alta dell'intera catena alpina; il massiccio segna il confine tra Valle d'Aosta, Piemonte e Canton Vallese. | [Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta - lovevda.it](https://www.lovevda.it/it/banca-dati/7/monti-e-ghiacciai/gressoney-la-trinite/catena-del-monte-rosa-punta-dufour-m-4634/1735) | medium | 2035-12-31 | | Il massiccio del Monte Rosa conta circa 30 cime oltre i 4.000 metri e circa 220 km quadrati di ghiacciai; alla Punta Gnifetti (4.554 m) sorge la Capanna Regina Margherita, il rifugio piu' alto d'Europa. | [Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta - lovevda.it](https://www.lovevda.it/it/banca-dati/7/monti-e-ghiacciai/gressoney-la-trinite/catena-del-monte-rosa-punta-dufour-m-4634/1735) | medium | 2030-12-31 | | La Valle d'Aosta e' la regione piu' piccola e meno popolata d'Italia: 3.260,9 chilometri quadrati, circa 122.500 abitanti, 74 comuni e nessuna provincia, con quote che vanno da 345 metri ai 4.808,72 del Monte Bianco | [Wikipedia (dati ISTAT)](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valle_d%27Aosta) | medium | 2027-12-31 | | Il Cervino (Matterhorn) misura 4.478 metri e sorge sul confine italo-svizzero sopra la Valtournenche, in Valle d'Aosta. | [Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta - lovevda.it](https://www.lovevda.it/it/scoprire/grandi-montagne/monte-cervino) | medium | 2035-12-31 | ## Image https://media.myitalia.it/media/nature.monte-rosa.1600.jpg Author: sandro bisotti from Torino, Italy. License: Public domain. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_from_%22Hochlicht%22_top_(Monte_Rosa_group)_-_Flickr_-_sandro349.jpg ## Other languages - it: https://myitalia.it/it/natura/monte-rosa.md - es: https://myitalia.it/es/naturaleza/monte-rosa.md - fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/nature/monte-rosa.md - de: https://myitalia.it/de/natur/monte-rosa.md