Gran Paradiso
French: Grand Paradis
The Gran Paradiso
Highest point
Elevation	4,061 m (13,323 ft)[1]
Prominence	1,879 m (6,165 ft)[2]
Isolation	45.1 km (28.0 mi)
Listing	Ultra
Coordinates	45°30′52″N 7°16′11″E / 45.51444°N 7.26972°E / 45.51444; 7.26972
Naming
English translation	Great Paradise
Language of name	French, Italian
Geography
Gran Paradiso Italy
Location	Piedmont (Metropolitan City of Turin) and Aosta Valley, Italy
Parent range	Graian Alps
Climbing
First ascent	September 4, 1860 by Cowell, Dundas, Payot and Tairraz
Easiest route	rock/ice climb

The Gran Paradiso (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɡram paraˈdiːzo]) or Grand Paradis (French pronunciation: [ɡʁɑ̃ paʁadi]) is a mountain in the Graian Alps in Italy, located between the Aosta Valley and Piedmont regions. It is located in Gran Paradiso National Park.

Geography

The peak is the 7th highest mountain in the Graian Alps, with an elevation of 4,061 m. In the SOIUSA (International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps) the mountain belongs to an alpine subsection called "North-Eastern Graian Alps" (It:Alpi del Gran Paradiso; Fr:Alpes du Grand-Paradis) and also gives its name to the gruppo del Gran Paradiso.^[3]

While the Mont Blanc massif straddles the border between France and Italy, the Gran Paradiso is the only mountain whose summit reaches over 4,000 metres that is entirely within Italian territory.

Routes

Climbs normally start from either the Refuge Frédéric Chabod or the Refuge Victor-Emmanuel II. The latter is named after Victor Emmanuel II of Italy who created the Gran Paradiso royal reserve in 1856, presently the site of the Gran Paradiso National Park.

It is widely accepted that Gran Paradiso is one of the easiest four-thousanders to summit. This is not fully true, however, because while almost the entire route to the ridge is graded at F+, the last several dozen metres to the Virgin Mary (or Madonna) summit (Italian: Cima della Madonna, French: Pointe de la Madone or French: Pointe de la Vierge – 4058 m) comprises rock climbing with considerable exposure, with difficulties of grade I UIAA, while access to the proper main summit (4061 m) requires 15 minutes of climbing up to grade II UIAA. Gran Paradiso is popular with novice alpinists and many of these only climb to the Madonna summit.^[4]

In addition to the main summit routes, Gran Paradiso possesses a steep snow/ice North West Face, which can be climbed at AD+ from the Refuge Frédéric Chabod.^[4]

Nature conservation

Gran Paradiso is located in the Gran Paradiso National Park, an Italian national park named after the mountain.^[5] On the French side of the border, the park is continued by the Vanoise National Park.