Sport Itineraries: Avise

The itinerary starts from the square of Avise castle, that belonged to the Lords of Avise, one of the most important noble family in the Valdostan Middle Age. Follow the Cérellaz regional road until the fork for Le Cré hamlet, then cross the bridge over Mont Rosset creek. After passing Cré village, where you can see the remains of another medieval castle, follow the municipal road until the bridge over Gaboué torrent.
The trail runs on the left bank of the creek, goes up along some terraces and then goes into the woods until farmhouses in Mosse hamlet.
The path leads to a cultivated grassy plateau and finally, on gravel road, arrives at Saint-Nicolas.

When you get to Jovençan, in the municipality of Avise, continue along the private road until you reach a bend before Rovine, where route 10 starts on the right of the road, marked by a vertical signpost. Go up the valley amid alpine pastures and debris slopes, until you come to Alpe Sorace. From here, continue along the right branch with the same number, as far as Col de Citrin.

When you get to Jovençan, in the municipality of Avise, continue along the private road, and after Alpe Tronchey, you come to the start of route 30, which is shown on the vertical signpost. Go up the slope, amidst alpine pastures and the debris-covered slopes, until you come to the pasture of Méanaz and finally Col de Vertosan.

Coming from Saint-Nicolas, leave your car in the small parking on the right just before the Charbonnière’ s village.
Continue on the paved road that passes behind the houses and then, unpaved, goes up to the water basin (follow the indications of the “ru”). From here begins the path that runs along the “ru”, the irrigation channel that from Vedun’s area carries the water of the Vertosan creek to the cultivated fields of Avise’s hill.
After a first climbs, the path continues fairly flat, or with short slopes, and shortly after crosses the path of the “Cammineo Balteo” and follows it up to Vedun. The last stretch is taken on the municipal road that reaches the characteristic village.
The whole route is characterized by a magnificent panorama of the mountains of the central valley: Monte Emilius, Becca di Nona and Grivola.

The itinerary starts from Vedun, at the beginning of the Vertosan valley, where you can park your car. The path continues to the left, crosses the characteristic village, also passing under a house, and winds on a scot pine wood.
The trail goes on wide and slightly uphill for about half of the route until you reach a small promontory from where you have an exceptional view of Mont Blanc and Morgex and La Salle basin.
From here the narrowest track reaches the Montagnoulaz mountain pasture and ends in Charvaz.

From Vedun hamlet in Avise village, take the gravel road that winds in Vertosan valley.
Go past Clapey and Maisonnettes old hamlets, go nearer to the torrent until you can cross it on the right and then take the gravel road that arrives from Col de Joux. Continuing across high-altitude pastures you will reach Jovençan village.

Starting fom Pont Suaz, near Aosta, you follow the left-hand bank of the Dora Baltea river uphill and make your way towards Aymavilles. This village lies at the entrance to the Cogne Valley, in a position that has enabled vine-growing to flourish.

You then reach Villeneuve, located at the junction leading to Introd and the valleys of Valsavarenche and Rhêmes and overlooked by the Church of Santa Maria and the ruins of the Châtel-Argent Castle, so named because silver coins were once minted there.

Continuing on, you pass through Arvier, nestled in a small hollow surrounded by vineyards, and then Avise. This ancient village, perched in a dominant position on the right-hand bank of the Dora (looking towards its source), is marked by the impressive remains of three medieval castles.  In Roman times it was a strategic point along the Via Galliarum.

As you climb to 1,200 metres, you arrive at the village of Saint-Nicolas, set on the edge of a small green hollow in a very sunny position. It is home to the “Centre d’Etudes Franco-provençales” created to safeguard and promote the patois, the Valle d’Aosta dialect of Franco-Provençal origins.

Places you go through on the route:
- Pont Suaz (550 m)
- Aymavilles 7.4 km (635 m)
- Villeneuve 10.6 km (655 m)
- Arvier 14.4 km (750 m)
- Cerellaz junction 17.2 km (780 m)
- Cerellaz 23.3 km (1,250 m)
- Vens/Saint-Vincent junction 25.6 km (1,285 m)
- Meod 31.4 km (1,530 m)
- Villair sur Sarre 38.9 km (1,200 m)
- Arpuilles - Gignod/Aosta junction 46.6 km (1,000 m)
- Aosta 52.7 km (590 m)