Sport Itineraries: Charvensod

The starting point of the excursion, the village of Les Gorres can be reached by car from Aosta, 11 km away. Going up by car, you leave the regional road and take the direction to the village on the left.
Immediately after the village of Saint-Salò it is possible to park the car along the road. Walk along the road and after a few meters on the right, near the Les Gorres sign, go up a very wide path that runs alongside a group of houses. Once on the path you see a small chapel on the left. After a few minutes you cross the dirt road and continue on the very wide path equipped with a wooden fence on the left. Continuing you meet some houses in the woods.
Walk along the path and do not take into consideration the yellow arrow at the aqueduct that indicates to the right. A little further on, the panorama of the central valley opens on the left.
Continue in a stretch of wood and shortly after, once out of the wood, you can again admire the view of the valley. Walk uphill along the always very wide path. At a certain point on the right the path joins the dirt road. The steepest part of the excursion ends here.
Go left on the dirt road and after a few meters you find the access on the right which leads to the enchanting stretch along the ru. It is also possible to continue on the large white road. Walk along the ru, on a path that in some parts requires a little attention, until you reach the bridge over the stream. After crossing the bridge, you arrive at Ponteille .
From here you can eventually decide to continue up to the Comboé (about 1 hour), going up you meet the belvedere point overlooking the waterfalls.

When you get to Pont Suaz park the car below the pharmacy and take the narrow road near the hotel Miage that leads to Charvensod. To make it easier drive directly to Charvensod , park the car and take the road through the village opposite the town hall, which leads you to the hamlet of Chateau. Continue on itinerary 102, first on the road and then on the mule track, which bends right and goes into the woods until it comes to Peroulaz. Now, cross the regional road for Pila, until you soon come to the village of Sérémont, and, with the village on your right, continue up a steep slope to a stable, and then continue along the mule track until you come to the hermitage dedicated to Saint Gratus, the patron saint of the town Aosta.

From the Aosta motorway exit, continue along the state road towards the town until the junction for Pila on the left. Proceed as far as the roundabout at Pollein then turn right for Charvensod. At Pont Suaz turn left and then immediately right. Continue uphill to the upper car park of Pila where the road ends and the hike begins.

Old ferrata (Col Carrel):
From the upper car park in Pila, head past the ski school and then the “Chalet du Soleil”. Proceed to the right and take path 19a which leads to the left to Alpe di Chamolé.
At the mountain cabins, near the fountain, continue left along a dirt track. You will soon reach a small path that branches off to the right (trail sign 20a). Proceed first uphill and then on the flat until you reach Plan Fenêtre, where you will see a cross. Continue left downhill towards Comboé.
Reach the little valley and, after the chalets, cross the stream to the left and continue to a crossroads.

Continue to the right towards Col Carrel (trail sign 16a). The path becomes a track among the scree and climbs up to the pass where the Federigo bivouac is located. Proceed to the right on the ridge behind the building. Go over the first debris, following some markers that lead to the start, slightly to the left. Continue along boulders to the top of the first rocky peak before the Tibetan bridge. The rather elevated equipped walkway connects to the next peak. The trail proceeds with slightly more tiring and vertical passages up to Mont Ros de Comboé (3285 m).
Once you have crossed the summit, continue on apparently flat ground, on easier terrain. There is a first exit, signposted to the right, which goes to Lago Gelato.
Proceed uphill to Petit Emilius (3342 m) and continue along the ridge, the edge of which is circumvented on the right, first on reddish terraces and then on a more vertical section of lighter, crumbly rock. The via ferrata ends at the last spur. Continue for about ten minutes on moraine to reach the summit.
The descent is along the south ridge to the right, following the itinerary that leads to the Tre Cappuccini pass and from there to the right down to Lago Gelato. The tracks lead to the Arbolle refuge and from there, along an uphill path to the Chamolé col, then downhill to the homonymous lake and to the left to the ski lifts for Pila (or to the right to the path that leads back to the starting point).

Time required: 5 hours for the via ferrata, plus 3 hours to reach the Federigo bivouac (start of the via ferrata) and a further 4 hours to return to the valley along the normal route.

New ferrata (Col Ros):
Circular route. The approach trail starts at the Arbolle refuge and heads to Lago dell’Echo. From here it climbs to Col Ros (3071 m asl) and then to Mont Ros (3250 m). At this point, the new via ferrata route joins the old one and leads to the summit of Mont Emilius. The descent is along the normal route.

Time required: 2½ hours to reach the Col and a further 4 hours to complete the via ferrata. Overall, the round trip takes nine hours.

The cycling and walking route runs along the banks of the Dora Baltea, the river that runs through the centre of the Aosta Valley. Classified as easy, the trail runs from Sarre to Fénis, crossing through the municipalities of Gressan, Aosta, Charvensod, Pollein, Brissogne, Saint-Marcel and Nus.

This mainly flat itinerary is suitable for cyclists wishing to train, as well as for families looking for a pleasant bike ride in the fresh air, well away from traffic. The trail is wide enough for two bicycles to pass one another easily, with a tarmac surface and gravel at the sides to separate it from the surrounding land and vegetation.

Ideal also for running or walking, the trail links up a number of sports areas, equipped with parking, which means you can join or leave the trail at several different points, and combine your cycling or walking trip with a number of other leisure activities. Just a short distance away from the points offering access to the trail, you will find sites of cultural interest, as well as villages offering bars, restaurants, hotel accommodation and other services.

The cycling and walking trail is over 30 km in length.

Main entrance points:
• Sarre sports area
• Montfleury sports area, Aosta
• Les Iles di Gressan sports and recreation area
• Tzamberlet sports and recreation area, Aosta
• Pont-Suaz sports area, Charvensod
• Charvensod sports area
• Grand-Place sports and recreation area, Pollein
• Golf Les Iles sports and recreation area
• Palafent traditional Aosta Valley sports area, Brissogne
• Saint-Marcel sports field
• parking area outside Fénis cemetery
• Tzanté de Bouva equipped area, Fénis

One of the entrance points to the cycling and walking route is the Montfleury sports area in Aosta, near the cemetery, with parking for cars and a parking area for camper vans, from which a walkway across the river leads to the sports area in Gressan, another possible point offering access to the trail. At the Montfleury sports area, the route follows the left bank of the Dora Baltea, heading up towards Sarre, where the trail ends at the sports area.

From the sports area of Gressan, the trail runs along the right bank of the river. At the end of the walkway across the Dora, there is a panel describing how the morphology of the river has changed over the years, and a little further ahead is a series of signs offering information, present at a number of points along the route, featuring a map of the whole cycling-walking route and the regulations for using it.

The Gressan sports area is made up of a huge green area surrounded by a 1 km round-trip cycling path that is also a keep-fit trail. Also present is a park for children, two springs, several benches and bar-restaurants, one of which also runs a small outdoor pool, open in the summer.

The Tsamberlet sports area in Aosta is also linked to the cycling and walking route, with the various sports facilities offered including an indoor and outdoor swimming pool (open from mid-June to mid-September) and an ice skating rink.

Continuing along the stretch of the trail that runs through the municipality of Gressan, the route links up with the regional road near a restaurant at the hamlet of Borettaz where you will find a farm that sells its produce directly; visits must be booked. This link is also often used by reckless mountain bikers, who, once they reach the end of the downhill trail that goes down from Pila to Aosta, carry on along the cycling trail until Pont-Suaz before coming out through it and returning to the Aosta-Pila cable car station, used to go up into the mountains.

At Pont-Suaz, in the municipality of Charvensod, you can also access the trail - as well as a number of food and accommodation facilities - from the village, which is also the most convenient point to leave the route and walk or drive to the centre of the town of Aosta, for a visit to its Roman monuments and mediaeval churches, or simply to find accommodation or take a stroll through the pedestrianised streets, lined with shops and restaurants.

The cycling route continues along the right bank of the river, in the municipal area of Charvensod, with access also from the sports field, near a restaurant and other services, leaving behind the industrial area of Aosta on the left before arriving at the “Grand-Place green area” in Pollein. This is a recreation area with a play park for children and a large park area in the centre, at the edge of which you can find benches and drinking fountains. The building at the side of the parking area (payment required) is surrounded on three sides by trees and a rock garden.

Continuing through the Brissogne area, the trail runs alongside the “Golf Les Iles sports area”, which offers a 9-hole practice course, a 25-metre outdoor swimming pool (open from the first weekend in June until the first weekend in September), and a small lake for water sports, as well as a bar and restaurant. Also on the Brissogne stretch, the route leads to the Palafent multi-purpose facility, which includes a bar-restaurant with a parking area in front and an area set aside for traditional sports of the Aosta Valley (tsan, rebatta, fiolet and palet), where the championships take place in spring and summer.

The trail continues alongside the torrent, running around a protected nature area, the Les Iles humid area Nature Reserve, the most important site in the region where migratory birds stop off to feed and where several species of resident birds are also present. The path in the reserve heads towards the bird watching huts, and can be covered on foot only; bikes must be left in the bicycle racks provided.

The trail heads into the municipal area of Saint-Marcel where you can visit a distillery and also sample some of the local ham and other typical produce.

In Fénis, the trail runs along red asphalt and the route stands out more strikingly against the green of the meadows and the crop fields. This round-trip circuit is accessible both from the Fénis cemetery parking area and from the Tsanté de Bouva equipped area. Just a short distance away, the village offers visitor services, food and one of the best-known tourist attractions in the region: Fénis Castle. In Fénis, you can also visit the MAV – museum of the Aosta Valley traditional craftworks.

Leaving the town of Fénis and following the road that leads to the cemetery, you take the cycle path again. Recently built, very well maintained and signposted, it runs alongside the Dora Baltea on its right bank. Further on, between the towns of Chambave and Pontey, there are areas equipped for picnics. Protected from the sun by thick vegetation, some of them offer bathrooms, sinks and car parking spaces.

Main rules for using the cycling and walking route:
• The route is open during the day only, from 15 March to 15 November
• All users must respect other users, avoiding behaviour that might impede the normal use of the route
• Dogs and horses are not allowed
• Cyclists must proceed at moderate speed, keeping to the right and taking care to control their bicycle depending on the number of people using the route
• Motor vehicles are not allowed, with the exception of owners of and persons authorised to drive on the agricultural land served by the route; authorised vehicles must proceed with caution, at a maximum speed of 30 km/hour, guaranteeing right of way to cyclists. Excluded from the above are surveillance and emergency vehicles and vehicles carrying out maintenance operations.