Sport Itineraries: Nus

Leave the car in front of the Church of Sant’Ilario in Nus, go up the regional road and after a few meters take the large path on the right indicated as the path of the Via Francigena.

The view is pleasant on the imposing peaks including Mont Emilius and Becca di Nona and covers the whole central valley.

The route is characterized by a mixed itinerary, along farm roads, paths, stretches on asphalt. You come across villages and vineyards, in fact the path is also known as the “Chemin des Vignobles”. The whole route is well signposted with indications of the Via Francigena.

This route also partly follows the route of stage 20 (Fénis-Châtillon) of the Cammino Balteo trek.

From Lignan, in the municipality of Nus where you leave your car, you follow the tarmac road leading to the astronomical observatory. From here you go ona dirt road, which climbs grassy slopes up to the Véplace mountain pastures. Then at a junction you turn left onto trail no. 10B, leaving trail no. 11 on your right. You go through a wood with mixed varieties of conifers and come to a dirt road near a hairpin bend. Continue along this path until you reach the Champanement mountain pastures. You ignore the trail on the left which climbs steeply along traces of a footpath, and instead take trail no. 10 to the right until you reach the Plan Piscina plateau and the junction with the Alta Via no.1. Taking the left fork of the AV1 you go upwards until you reach the bivouac.

Join the village Porliod. Leave the car in the parking of the picnic area and follow the signs for trail 14. Crossing pastures, continue on the path with slight ups and downs. Walking along the cross-country winter track you reach the pastures Champ Plaisant, near the small Sanctuary of the Visitation of the Virgin, erected in 1852. Continuing down slightly until the stream, walk then up until La Servaz, where the hut Magià is located.

Once you reach the square in Porliod, where the tarmac road finishes coming from Lignan, a hamlet in the municipality of Nus, you take footpath no. 11B which goes up through the high pastures and conifer forests, often crossing the un-made road and leads to the plateau at the foot of the Tsa de Fontaney. Here you turn onto footpath No. 11 coming from Lignan which soon takes you to the mountain pasture where you bear right before coming to the Col du Salvé. You continue along the same route and soon after it runs into the path of the Alta Via no. 1 (AV1), and onwards along the base of a rocky cliff, before bearing left and going up to the refuge and Cuney Sanctuary.

From Nus take the road direction Saint Barthélemy, after going through Les Fabriques, you turn left at a hairpin bend onto the road that leads to Praz. From here you continue on foot along a trail that is sometimes a footpath and sometimes an un-made road until you reach the Alpine pastures of Praterier. As you continue on through the valley on trail no. 13, you go past trail no.1 on the right leading to Tsa de Pierrey, and come to another junction near the Les Crottes pastures. You ignore the right-hand branch which leads to Fenêtre de Tsan, and continue to the left until you reach the Reboulaz Bivouac.

Technical difficulty: medium/difficult
Physical difficulty: medium/difficult
Bike-friendly: 70%
Type of Route: dirt road, path

Take the Regional Road that from Nus goes uphill for around 18k until reaching the village of Lignan in Saint-Barthélemy and continue until Parliod on the municipal road for a further 3 km, ending at the picnic area, with ample parking.

After leaving the Porliod picnic area, go uphill to the Praz de l’Arp mountain and continue in the direction of Tsa di Fontaney. From here, as soon as you emerge from the conifer wood, the clearing is impressive and the view, breathtaking. Contemplating the peaks such as cima Longhede and the Fénis valleys (Clavalité) and Saint-Marcel (Laures) you pass the Tsa de Fontaney from where the path goes up to col Salvé. From here, descending slightly you turn towards the mountain hut that can already be seen from a distance.
On approaching a rocky wall, you reach a crossroads and then continue to the right on the classic road of the Alta Via 1 that leads to the stop point. On reaching the mountain hut, before preparing to eat, all that remains is to open the map and discover everything that surrounds the Cunéy basin. Return along the same path as the outward journey.

Technical difficulty: medium
Physical difficulty: medium
Bike-friendly: 100%
Type of Route: mixed asphalt, dirt, path

Those arriving from the A5 Torino/Milano motorway should take the Nus exit while those arriving from Aosta should take the State Road no. 26 in the Torino (Turin) direction and follow the signs for Nus.

The route develops srarting from the town of Nus (570 metres above sea level) and passing by the Villair di Quart, arriving at the castle di Quart (759 meters above sea level). From here continue on to Vollein (1000 metres above sea level) before completing the route in Nus. This is the area of “adret” (sunny side) on the orographic left side of the Dora Baltea, characterized by a very dry climate as the sun is present all year round and its rays beat directly on the ground. The lack of rainfall and the wind force the plants in the area to protect themselves from dehydration by specific adaptation. The area features Scots pines, larches, downy oaks, black pines, douglas firs, atlas cedars, horse chestnuts, willows and oaks. A few species of plants were introduced in the 1950s since trees were chopped down in order to produce coal. You may see a few animals along the way, including foxes, squirrels, wild boars and roe deer.

The route departs from the Rosset di Nus farm (570 metres above sea level). Follow the state road for 6 km until the Villair di Quart crossroads. Turn right at the roundabout in the direction of the Quart castle (759 metres above sea level) of which the structure, located at the mouth of the steep valley excavated by the Quart stream, is visible from the bottom of the valley. You follow the dirt path that leads towards the Vollein necropolis which is around 8 km far away. Riding along the dirt track that, after around 600 metres leads you to the asphalt road; after a sharp bend you take the uphill path past the villages of Verney and Valzillianz. After around 1km this brings you to a crossroads where you continue to the left in the direction of Trois Villes. After 800 metres you pass through the village Argnod (800 metres above sea level) and reach the village of Vollein. Next, you have to direct yourself towards the valley, taking path no. 6 that leads to Nus. The descent begins and the road that starts off wide, soon becomes a rather technical path. You soon reach the bottom of the valley where you can admire the Nus castle from below. The path is very narrow, the ground is a technical stretch. On arriving in front of the Nus castle, you can’t not stop to admire this building dating back to the end of the thirteenth century.

The route is not yet over: after going uphill again on your bike, continue to the Nus district; after passing through the Mazod village you come to the district where you can admire the Pilato castle before returning to the start point.

Technical difficulty: easy
Physical difficulty: medium
Bike-friendly: 100%
Type of route: dirt road

Take the Regional Road that from Nus goes uphill for around 18k until reaching the village of Lignan in Saint-Barthélemy and continue until Parliod on the municipal road for a further 3 km, ending at the picnic area, with ample parking.

Set off from the picnic area in Porliod. After a brief downhill stretch on asphalt, you pass by the village of Porliod that is partly in ruins. Here the farm track leads to the Verney mountain. Alternatively, you can get there by going up the Praz de l’Arp mountain straight after departure and continuing towards the Barbonce mountain after having crossed the Chavalary stream. A brief and easy descent takes you to the wonderful plain of Champ Combre, and after this the slope, now completely level, leads to the bottom of the valley until Prazterrier at the foot of col Fenêtre de Tsan and the Reboulaz Bivouac on the Alta Via no.1.
On reaching the turning point, the return route begins.
Descending briefly, pass in front of the Magià mountain hut at La Servaz and take the flat slope again. After around 1 kilometre you come to a crossroads and continuing to the left you reach the Pierrey pasture and Praz Crou before returning to the Praz village or returning on the itinerary of the outward journey by completing the circular route and glimpsing the peaks towards the south and west such as Tersiva, the testata of the Laures valley, Mount Emilius, the Pila basin and beyond to the Rutor glacier.

Take the road that leads to the Valle d’Aosta Astronomy Observatory. After the signpost that indicates the main routes leaving Lignan, climb the planet path meaning the short road that leads to the observatory accompanied by a series of information panels dedicated to the planets in the solar system. The road becomes a snowy slope and starts to climb the sunny side over Lignan. After a gentle rise where you can see the exciting South-East face of Mont Faroma, take the steep climb to the barracks (where a path leads to Comba di Chaleby). Here you’ll find the initial Place pastures and the path becomes steeper. After the renovated Place de Meiten houses, continue climbing the snow-covered slope hugging the larch woods until you reach Mayes. Cross a strip of the larch woods to quickly reach the Fontaney buildings. Continue crossing to your right, passing another strip of woods until you reach the edge of a beautiful snow-covered pasture: turn left and pass the last larch trees entering an area of rare beauty, a sea of snow at the foot of Mont Morion. Climb the slope heading for the signpost covered in snow: from here, turn slightly to your left and, after a couple of hills, the pasture appears. A last push and you’ll reach Tsa de Fontaney.
The pasture provides an exciting view: the beautiful Mont Emilius and Becca di Nona outlined by the sun and the frozen peaks of Monte Rosa.

From Lignan (1633 m) climb to the top of the slopes. Take the summer path that winds through the wood to the Fontaney chalet at altitude 2,079 m. From here, always to your left, hike to the upper Fontaney chalet at altitude 2,302 m. Cross halfway to the plateaus above. Cross the plateaus to the right of the valley and, following your own path, reach the Salvè hill at altitude 2,568 m. Head West and follow the beautiful peaks on the northern side to Col di Chaleby at altitude 2,683 m.

The first municipality in the Aosta Valley is Pont-Saint-Martin. After passing the municipalities of Donnas, the fort of Bard, Hône, Arnad, Verrès and Montjovet, the short climb of the "Mongiovetta" begins which takes you to Saint-Vincent and then to Châtillon. Then after crossing Chambave, Champagne (Verrayes) and Nus, you arrive at the gates of Aosta, where the state road becomes two lanes in each direction in the municipalities of Quart and Saint-Christophe (commercial area).

After a possible stop in Aosta, having passed the Aosta Valley capital (Corso Ivrea, Via Roma and Via Parigi with numerous roundabouts) and after the crossroads which leads to the Great Saint Bernard state road N. 27, the road 26 continues westwards and crosses Sarre (crossroads for Cogne), Saint-Pierre, Villeneuve (crossroads for Introd and the valleys of Rhêmes and Valsavarenche), Arvier, Léverogne (crossroads for Valgrisenche), passes near Derby (fraction of La Salle), crosses  La Salle and then Morgex until you reach Pré-Saint-Didier (crossroads for La Thuile and, in summer, for the Little Saint-Bernard pass). From here continue to Courmayeur.

To return you can opt for the transfer route along the A5 motorway, which crosses the entire central valley, from Courmayeur to Pont-Saint-Martin. You will find indicated all the toll booths and exits that you may need to reach the starting points of the motorbike itineraries or to return home at the end of your excursions.

From Pont-Saint-Martin, after admiring its ancient Roman bridge, travel along the valley floor to Châtillon from where you will then climb along the Matterhorn Valley. At Antey-Saint-André you will find the crossroads for Torgnon. From Torgnon you will then pass the panoramic pass of San Pantaleone (Saint-Pantaléon) from which you can reach Verrayes by choosing between two different routes: passing through Lozon (nature reserve) or through Semon (municipality of Saint-Denis). From Verrayes you reach the valley floor again and arrive at Nus from which you climb towards Saint-Barthélemy where another exceptional panorama opens up. The route ends with the descent towards Nus.

TORGNON: RURAL ARCHITECTURE AND PANORAMA
Torgnon lies in the heart of those who visit it not only because of its privileged location, in the middle of the valley of the Matterhorn, at an altitude of 1489 m, but also for its numerous hamlets which retain their characteristic Alpine architecture. Among these the hamlets of Etirol and Triatel, whose buildings host the ethnographic museum Petit-Monde about the history of the area, its production cycle and its social organisation, stand out.
The view from the Saint-Pantaléon pass is definitely stunning and the gaze takes in the whole Valtournenche valley, encircled by the Grandes Murailles and the Matterhorn, and the Central Valley.

SAINT-BARTHELEMY, TO THE STARS
The Saint-Barthélemy Valley, initially tortuous and very steep, in the Lignan area at 1,633 meters above sea level, opens up into a vast plateau from which you can admire a splendid panorama. The astronomical observatory of Saint-Barthélemy, very important for scientific research, is one of the most suitable places for astronomical observations, thanks to favourable conditions, mainly due to low light pollution.
Excellent local wines are produced in the municipality of Nus: Nus Rouge and the aromatic Malvoisie, an enological preciousness produced from dried grapes.