Nature: Fontainemore, Lillianes, ** 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.

An Alpine environment offering a great wealth of flora and fauna

The Mont Mars nature reserve was established in 1994. It covers 300 hectares and is located at the head of the Pacoulla stream valley. Follow the farm road from the Pillaz hamlet to the Vargno alp to reach the edge of the reserve. Continue following the paved path marked with a black 2 on a round yellow sign: this is the main path, that crosses the entire reserve from West to East and leads to Col de la Balma (2,259 m) and further to the Oropa Sanctuary in the Biella region.

Geology: glacier origin morphology is prevalent, especially the series of terraced rock basins which currently host small lake and marsh basins. Modest remains of the ancient glacier that occupied the valley until 10,000 years ago are found in the snowfield in the small circle at the foot of the North face of Mont Mars. The dominating rocks are mica schist with white marble stripes and dark basic rocks.

Flora: the vast larch forests are dotted with bushy areas (rhododendron, blueberries, juniper). Higher up are discontinuous fields due to the widespread rocky areas where you can find purple gentian, arnica and nigritella. Doronicum austriacum, rare in Valle d’Aosta, can be found among the rocks. Mountain lilium and alpine betony grow on the sunny cliffs. The bottom of the dry fields beautifully contrast with the wetlands in the Leilong basin where floating reeds and aquatic buttercups thrive.

Fauna: the reserve includes species typical of subalpine, alpine and river plains. In the wetlands and lakes you may catch a glimpse of the grass frog, the char, and the white-throated dipper. Alpine fields and prairies are home to the common grass snake, the crow, the rock pipet, the black redstart, the cuckoo, the woodchuck, the chamois, the hare and the fox. The Ptarmigan and the alpine finch (typical of river valleys) are found on Mont Mars’ Northern face. The reserve is a Golden eagle hunting ground.

How to get to the reserve
From Pont-Saint-Martin follow the signs for Gressoney taking the regional road n. 44.
Once in Fontainemore, after about 1 km, turn right crossing the bridge over the Lys stream and go up the left side for 11 km until you reach Pian Coumarial, where you can park your car and continue on foot.

Two permanent exhibitions have been set up in the visitors centre of the Mont Mars Nature Reserve, situated in the centre of the village, a few metres from the regional road to Gressoney.

The fauna of the Nature Reserve
Exhibition dedicated to the fauna of the nature Reserve: marmot, hare, chamois…

The Oropa Procession
Exhibition on the old pilgrimage of the Fontainemore community towards Oropa, whose origins date back to the second half of the XVI century.

Visitors centre of the Mont Mars Nature Reserve
In the centre it is possible to:

• view films and videos on the reserve and the traditions of the village;
• obtain detailed information and materials on the Mont Mars Nature Reserve, on the village of Fontainemore and the entire network of protected Regional areas;
• consult nature reference publications;
• use the multi-purpose room for educational activities, projections, conferences, concerts, events and temporary exhibitions.

Guided excursions are organised in the nature reserve and surrounding territory.

The “Le pietre del Lys” (the stones of the Lys) geological trail is situated in Fontainemore, in the valley basin, just a stone’s throw from the town, near the Niana green area.

The feature, which is a didactic trail amid large rocky masses that illustrate the main geological events which took place in the Lys Valley, has both recreational and educational functions, making it suitable for adult visitors and children alike. The sequence of rocks accompanies visitors along a journey in the imagination which, from the Valley of the Dora Baltea river goes as far as the Monte Rosa massif. The lithologies shown belong the the geological systems of the Vallaise: Austrian-Alpine system, Piedmont area, Pennidic system. The masses, of which there are a dozen gathered together in stations, mainly come from detritus deposits, stone quarries, stone landfills and banks of river beds. They come in different sizes (on average volumes in the range of 1 cubic metre) and curious rounded or smoothed shapes due to the fluvial or glacial action or sharp edges, deriving from the quarry extraction or collapses.

Along the trail, visitors will find exhaustive panels featuring the main characteristics of the different rocks.

A playgroud is also present with flying fox, roundabouts, a football field with goals, a drinking fountain and toilets (also for disabled people) and a wide green area with a small lake.

Just outside Fontainemore an ancient mule track leads to ‘Gouffre de Guillemore’, a very deep ravine carved through the rock by the Lys torrent, creating a striking waterfall. The Guillemore ravine combines spectacular scenery with strong roots in century-old history. The area was the only passage for several centuries, in fact the ravine was the meeting point between two mule tracks that ascended the Lys valley on its right and left slopes.
Upstream from the ravine, rocks polished by the glacier can even be seen from the regional road; some potholes are also well visible, being characteristic results of erosion caused by the drilling action of a subglacial torrent loaded with debris. A small perfectly circular pothole is present on the right watershed slope and can be identified with ease since it is often filled with water.

Superb in spring and early summer both for the substantial volume of the waterfall due to the melting of the snow and for the flowering of laburnum.
Also to be visited in autumn for the splendid autumn colors of the forest. In winter it is not uncommon to find ice cream in the basin of water that forms at the bottom of the jump.

From Fontainemore, coming from Pont-Saint-Martin, turn right towards Coumarial.
After a few hairpin bends you reach Pian Pervero, then turn right.
After passing some hamlets, you arrive at the bridge over the Bouro stream. Once the car is parked, the waterfall is on the left.