Nature: Aymavilles, Villeneuve, ** 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.

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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.

From a naturalistic point of view, the area around Pont d’Ael offers an interesting variety of flora and fauna. It is in fact a special conservation area protected under the European “Natura 2000” network.

Crossing the Roman aqueduct-bridge, there are arid grasslands, abandoned agricultural terraces, alternating with sparse forests of oak and Scots pine, where plant species of steppe and Mediterranean origin grow, such as the_Achillea tomentosa_. There are also some orchids, including the rare Cephalanthera damasonium.

The large quantity of butterflies is also of considerable interest: in addition to the endemic Polyommatus humedasae 96 diurnal species have been counted.

Upstream of the arid prairies rise the rocky walls that form the south-eastern slope of Mount Pognon on which birds of prey such as the golden eagle and the peregrine falcon nest.

Downstream from the village, the Grand’Eyvia torrent creates a shaded gorge with very steep walls, with microclimatic conditions of greater humidity where a forest very rare in the Aosta valley grows with a prevalence of linden, maple and ash trees.

It can be reached by a short deviation just after Aymavilles, ascending along the Cogne Valley. The Pondel ravine is situated in the central stretch of the long deep valley carved by the Gran-Eyvia torrent and is overlooked by the Roman aqueduct-bridge bearing the same name, a witness to extraordinary engineering skill.

Fully located in Valle d’Aosta, Grivola is the highest mountain in Italy after Gran Paradiso. Grivola (3,969 m.) is considered one of the most beautiful mountains in the Alps due to its pyramid shape, making it easy to spot from any angle. In fact, it has inspired poets who sung its praises and, seen from Saint-Pierre in the central Dora Baltea valley, appears truly enchanting.
A Valsavarenche mountaineer was the first to reach the summit in 1859, ascending from Valsavarenche: it was the Royal Hunting Reserve Guard Fedele Ambrogio Dayné who ascended with a party of four other non-Italian mountaineers. The Grivola summit, where a Cogne Alpine Guide Cross was planted, provides a thrilling view of the Gran Paradiso and Mont Blanc massifs.