Torgnon

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, yet facing south and sheltered from the northern winds, but also because of the hospitality of its inhabitants, notoriously dynamic and welcoming.
This ancient village is surrounded by wide pinewoods and green pastures and is composed by various hamlets which kept the traditional Alpine architecture. 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.

WHAT TO SEE
● The Saint Martin parish church and its parish museum: here we can find an interesting carved wooden pulpit dating back to the XVI century and a rare Christ on the column of the XIV century.
● The numerous hamlets keep the traditional Alpine architecture alive. 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.
● In the Middle Ages, this was a transit area for wayfarers on their way to Switzerland: in Chésod, there was a hospice that provided hospitality for travellers and, still today, it is possible to admire the remains of the Chavacour hospice situated in a green basin at an altitude of 2084 metres.

NATURE AND SPORT
Being surrounded by nature is so easy here, both is summer and in winter, since the activities to keep fit while having fun are so varied.
In summer, one can explore various hiking and climbing routes, but also trying MTB or horse riding. Once at high altitude, marmots, ibexes and chamois as well as Edelweiss are easily visible.
Noteworthy is the Lo Ditor pond, set in the Chavacour valley, included in the SIC (Site of Community Importance) network thanks its unique habitats.
In Chantorné, at an altitude of over 1750 metres, there is a nice pinewood with an equipped picnic area and an healthy route.
Four routes for Nordic Walking, a bike park, with its 4.5 km of downhill tracks, reachable with a chairlift, and the sport centre, which owns 5-a-side football pitches, tennis courts, basket, beach volley and bowls fields, as well as ping-pong and table football facilities.
Fun gets even greater in winter. The alpine skiing resort, with its ski facilities that reach 2,200 m, includes 12 ski slopes for the fun of skiers and snowboarders, who can also try the snowpark boardercross with its jumps, rails and a beginner area.
Cross-country skiing tracks give skiers the chance of choosing between routes of different length and difficulty levels, from 2 to 30 km, from 1,700 to 2,200 m above the sea level. The slopes stretch in pinewoods and glades, from which one can truly appreciate the grandeur of the Matterhorn. There is also a wide area dedicated to snowshoes paths, a park where one can practice the Winter Nordic Walking and various tracks for ski mountaineering. Guided excursions, organised during the whole winter season, are also available.

EVENTS AND TRADITIONS
● Torgnon d’outon – Mountain potatoes and mountain dairy Fontina cheese: several activities are organised to celebrate the feast of the patron saint, Saint Martin, including a market on Sunday which offers typical products and local crafts. Here you can buy Fontina cheese produced in the alpine pastures and delicious mountain potatoes.
● Recently, Torgnon has become a destination for some of the most important horse championships. The Endurance Trophy ‘Les Grandes Montagnes’ is a great example, but also national show jumping championships are held in Torgnon.
● Kids become protagonists as they are accompanied by ski intructors during the torchlight procession for children

FOR THE LITTLE ONES
Idyllic woods and peaceful pastures, for sure! But kids do need to completely express their vitality! In summer, for instance, they can access the fun park 'Summer Park', where they can try an artificial track with inflatables, play on a carousel or choose among many other amusements. They can also take part to fun paintball tournaments.
In winter, in addition to the classic alpine or cross-country skiing, to which kids can approach thanks to two ski schools, children can have fun at the Winter Park: they will never have enough of inflatables, trampolines, amusements or facilities to climb.  

IDENTIKIT
● Altitude: 1489 m
● Inhabitants: 570
● How to get there by public transports: Torgnon can be reached by bus from Châtillon. Timetables are available on the website of the Arriva company. An on-call shuttle service is also available at certain times of the year .

USEFUL LINKS
● Discover the village of Torgnon!
● Download the map of the village
● Download the hiking map