Sport Itineraries: Jovençan

Reach Jovençan village and follow the signs for the church, leave the car in the parking lot in front of the church in the hamlet Les Adam. The itinerary begins on the left of the Maison des anciens rémèdes, an important museum for the discovery of the ancient healing secrets of the flowers and herbs of the Alps.
Take the mule track marked with sign 2A which with a fairly steep climb after about 5 minutes reaches a crossroads of 3 paths. Take the right one which a little further on becomes a dirt road in the middle of the vineyards.

Once you reach the inhabited nucleus of Turille (green house on the right), turn first on the left along the path of the Cammino Balteo and after a few meters on the right (marker Cammino Balteo on a stone) in an area of vineyards. After crossing an asphalted road, continue uphill (trail marker 3B /Cammino Balteo) and enter the wood of wild pine and broadleaf trees until reaching an intersection, follow trail marker 3B and after a few steps there is a panoramic point with benches and tables and with a spectacular view on the mountains . The panel provides some information on the monumental remains of Jovençan that can be seen at the bottom, on the opposite promontory and tells the story of Becca France and the village of Thouraz.

At this point, you have to take the white road in slight descent and go into a thick forest, then, at the first bend, follow the mule track to the left and start climbing again (3A). At the crossroads that you meet immediately after, turn right (3A) along a path that climbs for about fifty meters before turning right and becoming flat again. Reached the dirt road, there is another panel, which describes the flora of the area. Continue until you reach an asphalt road that climbs slightly, go along it on the left for a hundred meters until you reach the parking lot of the Chabloz.
Take the paved road which then becomes a path that climbs up on the left (signpost 1 e) and after passing through the small hamlet and some meadows, it gets back to the wood and comes out on the flat path of the ru d’Arberioz (Illustrative panel with the history of the ru a few meters on the right).
Turn left (signpost 3), the path continues in a wood mainly composed of Scots pines, broad-leaved trees, downy oaks, ash and shrubs, arrives near Pompiod quarry. There is the second panel which illustrates its history. After various ups and downs, you reach another panoramic point on the castle of Sarre and then down until the first panoramic point of the outward journey. Here turn right and retrace the starting path.

Technical difficulty: easy
Physical difficulty: medium
Bike-friendly: 100%
Type of Route: asphalt and dirt roads

From Aosta, follow the Courmayeur State Road no. 26 until you pass the village of Villeneuve and come to a large parking on the right, starting point of this bike itinerary.

From the square in Trepont hamlet in Villeneuve you take the State Road no.26, following directions to the Villeneuve sports centre.
Taking the wooden walkway that crosses over the Dora Baltea river, continue towards the centre of the village. On leaving the village, proceed towards Aymavilles where you go uphill to the site of the “Cave des Onze Communes” cooperative winery.

The itinerary then goes on along the direct paths that crosses the vineyards of Les Crêtes, featuring splendid panoramic views (Aosta plain and castles).
Descending at Ayamavilles, close to the motorway junction, cross the bridge over the Dora Baltea and continue by following the river.
You will reach the Gressan sports centre by passing through the village of Jovençan. The recently built pedestrian walkway allows you to cross the Dora river again, entering in the periphery of Aosta and directing towards the “Regional Farming Institute”.

From here, set off again in a westerly direction (Courmayeur), reaching the panoramic road over the hills until you reach the municipality of Sarre.
After crossing the railway, you will arrive close to the motorway junction again, where a fun dirt path along the banks of the Dora begins. Continue along this until you reach Saint-Pierre, where the picturesque castle of “Sarriod de la Tour” can be sighted. You can reach the castle via a short but difficult dirt road.

After crossing State Road no.26, the route continues towards the hamlets on the hill until arriving at a bridge that leads to Villeneuve. On reaching the river park, go back along the first stretch of the journey until you come to the site of departure.

The wineries (on the map select “Farms/Wineries”  to locate them) can only be visited by reservation.