Sport Itineraries: Nus

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.