Educational farms

The farm is located in the municipality of Charvensod, on a promontory overlooking the town of Aosta and from which the view sweeps over the surrounding mountains.
The extremely positive experience of allowing his own children to join him in the daily work on the farm has given Fabio the impulse to offer a similar opportunity to other children. Following the example of an adult engaged in concrete activities, the children have the opportunity to learn about the ancient bond with the land and to reconnect with the rhythms of nature through manual work, contact with natural materials and with animals.
The farm is surrounded by pastures, woods and vineyards.
The main activity is cattle breeding, to which the vegetable garden, garden, orchard and walnut grove are attached.

Educational activities

A day with the farmer to observe the changing work in the different seasons of the year:

• the sowing and growth rhythms of flowers and vegetables;
• the care of animals in the barn;
• grazing with the farmer;
• preparing the meadows in spring;
• summer haymaking.

Nature trail: we discover our bodies in motion through the many routes around the farm in the different seasons of the year.

Some activities take place in the barn, the hayloft or the farmer's house, but most are held outdoors, sometimes with animals.

How to get there

In the TO-AO direction, take the ‘Aosta est’ motorway exit and follow the signs for Pila. When you reach the village of Charvensod, take the first road on the right that climbs up into the historic centre. At the top of the ascent, turn right again and follow the road for about 400 metres until you reach the farm road leading to the farm.

The farm is located in the municipality of Charvensod, on a promontory that looks down onto the city of Aosta and offers views out over the surrounding mountains.
His own extremely positive experience of allowing his children to help with the everyday work on the farm prompted Fabio to offer a similar opportunity to other children. Following the example of an adult engaged in common-sense activities, children have the opportunity to learn about the age-old connection with the land, tuning back into the natural rhythm of nature through manual work, as well as contact with natural materials and with animals.
The farm is surrounded by fields, woodland and vineyards.
The main activity is cattle rearing, and the farm also has a vegetable and flower garden, orchard and walnut trees.

Educational activities
A day with the farmer to observe how jobs on the farm vary from season to season:

• sowing crops and the pace of growth of flowers and vegetables;
• taking care of the animals indoors;
• out in the pastures with the farmer;
• preparing the meadows in the spring;
• gathering and baling hay in the summer.

A journey through nature: the chance to discover our body on the move with the numerous routes around the farm during the various seasons.
A number of activities take place in the barn, in the hayshed or in the farmer’s home, but most are outdoor activities, sometimes involving the animals.

How to reach the farm
In the Turin-Aosta direction, take the “Aosta Est” motorway exit and follow the indications for Pila. When you reach the village of Charvensod, take the first road on the right that climbs up to the centre of the village. At the top of the climb, turn right again and go along the road for about 400 metres until you reach the private road that leads to the farm.

NaturaLys (from Natura and Lys, the river that runs through the valley) was founded in 2008 when the owners decided to buy four beehives for family honey production. The desire was to return to tending bees, as their grandparents had already done in Gaby years before, and to start an activity in close contact with the surrounding nature. Since that year, the number of families has grown.
In 2012, they also started growing vegetables: potatoes, courgettes, pumpkins, ribs and chops, salads, onions, carrots... and everything else that can grow at this altitude. The natural and agricultural context in which the farm is located makes it possible to obtain genuine products of high organoleptic quality.
The vegetables are sold freshly picked and also processed into many delicacies in the workshop, as are the small fruits (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and currants) that are cultivated on an area of 2500 square metres.
Since spring 2015, a dozen colourful laying hens have joined the family.

Products

Acacia, chestnut, wildflower and rhododendron honey
Fruit jams and vegetable compotes and chutneys
Cultivation of vegetables and small fruits and vegetables (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, currents and blackberries).

For the shop’s opening times, please contact the farm directly.

Visit to the farm with product tasting

The farm owners love to tell people about their work to all those want to get to know the life of mountain farmers, the fascinating world of honey and the life of bees.
Cost of the visit + tasting per person: 16 € adults, 10 € children 4-12 years, free for children under 3 years.
Number of visitors required for the visit: min. 8 paying visitors.
Duration of the visit : about 1 ½ hours.

Educational workshops

Workshops are organised for schools and summer centres tailored to the needs, interest and age of the children.

How to get there

From Pont-Saint-Martin, go towards Gressoney. Immediately after the built-in area of Issime you will come to the village of Zuino; turn right onto a private road immediately after the Gaby power station.
Descending from Gressoney towards Pont-Saint-Martin, turn left following the signpost on the regional road which indicates the farm, in Zuino, the last hamlet of Gaby before entering into Issime.

The farm breeds around 90 cattle in the stables, including steers and calves, most of which are dappled black and chestnut cow breeds, the nèyre and the dappled red breed. Each cow has a name, a cowbell, horns and above all its own character…! This farming familt has been preserving its tradition for over 50 years.
On the farm you can also visit the henhouse and rabbit hutch. The orchard and vegetable garden next to the farmhouse produce fruit (pears, apples, peaches, figs, kiwis…) and vegetables (courgettes, carrots, lettuce, green beans…) used in the farm's menu. Ileana, the person in charge of the farm visits, together with Barbara, Michel, Didier and the whole family, try to show children and adults the passion with which they carry out their work by giving their guests the opportunity to know something more about the agricultural reality they experience every day.

Activities

You can choose between a half-day or a full day. For school educational visits, in addition to lunch at the farm restaurant, you can also use the indoor hall or the meadow for a packed lunch.

Educational farm prices:

• Half day: 10 €
• Full day with packed lunch: 15 €
• Full day with lunch at the farm: 20/25 €

Educational farm activities are run exclusively for groups of children.  

In July and August, activities and workshops are also offered to discover the farm, visit the farm website to find out more.

How to get there

From the SS 26 state highway, follow the signs to Pollein-Pila. At about 1 Km from the centre of Pollein, the agritourism farm, a peach coloured building, is on the right, just after the petrol station. The company is easily reachable by private coach (parking adjacent to the farm), and by bus (Saint-Benin bus stop).

The Ambiente Grumei beekeeping farm is located in the municipality of Verrayes, in the Cherolinaz hamlet (just 4 km from the valley floor) at 800 metres above sea level and dominates the central valley at its widest point; in front of it are snow-capped mountains of 3,500 m and in the distance the first glaciers of the upper valley.

Entirely organically run, operational since '91, it is multifunctional: in addition to the prevalent beekeeping activity, it also practices fruit growing and horticulture, thus completing the entire supply chain, from production to processing up to the direct sale of products both at the point of sale and at the main trade fairs in the Aosta Valley.

It is also an educational and social farm and collaborates with professional guides offering nature-hiking activities throughout the Aosta Valley.

All products can be purchased at the company shop (we recommend giving advance notice by calling the numbers listed in the "Contacts" section).

The visit

• Farm visits for families or small groups: either short (about 45 minutes) or long (about 90-120 minutes)
• Farm visits for larger groups or schools: half a day or full day (with personalized programs to be agreed)
• Paid visits: discounts for children or organized groups
• Languages spoken: french, english, spanish

The apiary of well-being, an immersive experience:  give yourself a moment of absolute relaxation inside a large and comfortable hut: observe the bees in safety and appreciate their beneficial scents based on propolis, honey, wax with the pleasant background of their buzzing.

Honey tasting and visit to the honey extraction and transformation laboratories.

It is also possible to visit the orchards, vegetable gardens, and aromatic plant cultivations.

Possibility of having a packed lunch or tasting company products in equipped outdoor spaces.

Games and recognition of birds and flowers are organized for younger visitors.

Also proposed are excursions with a nature-hiking guide suitable for all age groups and throughout the region. Snow excursions with snowshoes in the winter. In the area, excursions along the "ru", ancient irrigation channels between larch and Scots pine forests, are worth mentioning. In May, the mid-mountain moors turn pink: it is the flowering of wild thyme.

Period of activity: from March to October for both structured groups (school or otherwise) and for families and/or tourists

Reception capacity: for structured groups (min 10 max 25)

How to get there

Traveling on the A5 motorway, exit at the Châtillon - Saint-Vincent toll booth and take the S.S. 26, following it for 8 km in the direction of Aosta until the Champagne di Verrayes roundabout. Turn right onto the regional road 42 (signposted Verrayes - Colle San Pantaleone) and go up to the 4th Km, where you will find the car park and a wooden sign indicating the hamlet of Cherolinaz.