Nature: Arnad, Hône, Pontboset, Verrès, ** Valle d'Aosta **

The Mont Avic Park, first natural park in the Aosta Valley, preserves since 1989 the natural resources of the upper Chalamy stream valley in the municipality of Champdepraz and, since 2003 the Dondena valley, in the territory of Champorcher.

The protected area is characterised by extremely captivating landscapes and environments only marginally affected by human activities.
Crossing the paths that meander through the protected area gives visitors the chance to come into contact with particularly interesting and various natural aspects: rugged and characteristic geological formations, floral alpine endimisms and peculiar plant associations tied to the green rock substratum. The largest mountain pine forest (pinus uncinata) in the region with a couple dozen ponds, marshes and peat bog, it is unrivalled in number and in extension in the Aosta Valley. All the most widespread alpine animals in the region are represented.

You can hike along the park paths all year round. Most of the paths are snow-covered from November to May and only advisable for experts with appropriate equipment. Some paths can be ridden on horseback or on mountain bike.

Audio guide mp3

Col de Joux (1640m) is a woody pass linking Saint-Vincent with Brusson, and is thus a beautiful alternative route to the road that goes up from Verrès, to reach Val d’Ayas.
It runs past charming hamlets and goes through beautiful woods, providing wonderful views of the central valley and Val d’Ayas.
The word “Joux” has pre-Latin origins and means woody highland, however, can also be traced to the Latin Jugum, yoke, and hence hill.
Col de Joux also hosts the final Ayas section of Ru Courtod, an irrigated canal coming from the Ventina glacier and dating back to the 14th century.
Several trails of varying difficulty start here, for example those leading to Testa Comagna or Col Tzecore, but you can also go for a pleasant walk along the private road towards Sommarèse, or towards Pallu, with its artificial lake.

The arboretum is on the orographic left bank of the Évançon, at the start of Val d’Ayas. It can be reached on foot from Verrès, where you should leave the car, then up a section of the Val d’Ayas regional road.

At the both entrances, you will find panels describing the area, which includes nine panoramic viewpoints with benches and litter bins. The landscape from this site is extraordinarily vast: on the left is Verrès castle, built in the second half of the 14th century; to the north-east is Val d’Ayas; to the north-west is the magnificent outline of the iron cross erected on Mont Saint-Gilles (an offering of gratitude for the village’s escape from bombing during the second world war); to the south-west and south-east are the great plain of Verrès and Issogne castle just beyond it.

The varied vegetation is described on signs which also give the botanical names, along with their French and Italian versions. The typical local species of this xerophilous environment, such as downy oak, cornel, hawthorn, elm, European nettle tree, robinia etc, mingle with more demanding species, such as the cherry, ash, chestnut, linden, while it is possible to discover what are botanical rarities for this area growing spontaneously: medlar, butcher’s broom, laurel and spindle.
Grass and shrub flora is also diversified. We find species typical of very hot and dry environments such as soapwort, silene, dog rose, old man’s beard, wild lilies, and other more demanding species, such as the violet, strawberry and heather.

The inhabitants of Verrès call this place “Borna di Laou” in patois or “Tampa del luf” in Piedmontese (wolf’s den), since, until the end of the 19th century there apparently used to be a wolf’s den.