Nature: Nus, Quart, Roisan, Saint-Christophe, ** 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.

This particularly interesting area from a geomorphological and archaeological point of view, the hillock with steep slopes and a flat peak is located to the North-East of Aosta and it is also known locally as “Quota B.P.” (from Baden-Powell, scout founder).

A late Neolithic settlement, dating back to 3000 B.C. was situated at the top of the hill.

The nature reserve extends across 14 hectares at an altitude between 720 - 796 meters and offers typical sceneries of low mountain slopes with southern exposure.
The area is an excellent point for birdwatching during the migratory periods, especially for some birds of prey and corvidae. The reserve is also home to some mammals, reptiles and various invertebrate species.

The area’s climate promotes typically xerophile plant species mainly downy oaks and plants of steppe origin.
This conditions make the reserve’s visit possible all year round, with preference for spring and autumn.

How to get there
From the exit Aosta Est of the A5 motorway, take the national road 26 towards the town. At the second roundabout turn right towards Porossan and go on until the Serod hamlet. Continue following the signs to Saint-Christophe until reaching the little parking at the reserve’s entry.

At the bottom of the central valley, a highly interesting ecological habitat

Location: on the Dora Baltea river, at Brissogne municipality.

The nature reserve extends across 35.4 hectares at an altitude between 526 - 532 meters.
The riparian mid-central valley environment, located in an area formerly occupied by a bend in the Dora Baltea river, is characterised by two quarry lakes with mainly naturally re-populated shores.
The reserve is the most important regional stop over and feeding ground for migratory birds. Many species also nest here. The reserve is home to amphibians, reptiles and, in the lake waters, tenches and pikes.
The vegetation, representative of the ancient riparian landscape now receded from almost the entire valley, is made up of marsh cane, reeds, sedge and a few prominent plants such as the Dwarf bulrush.

How to get there
From Aosta, follow State road 26 towards Turin and turn right at the Brissogne bridge. Go on walking along the Dora Baltea river, until you’ll reach the reserve entry, indicated by an explanatory board.

The geological site of Vollein (Quart) includes several extremely significant geological, geomorphological and cultural aspects within a limited surface area.
Today we will observe the manifestations of two phenomena. The first, which is associated with the great glaciation of the past, left evident traces of glacial morphology, among which, the roche moutonée, characterised by its stripes and its typical shape, and the erratic boulders, rocky blocks transported by the glacier and deposited here during the withdrawal phase. The second phenomenon occurred during a subsequent period, and is known among the scientific community as “a deep slope gravitative deformation”. In the presence of determined conditions of instability (which still exist), the slope is subject to a very slow, slightly downward slipping, causing cracks in the rock, evident deformations and deep trenches.
To this context, which is exemplary from a geological-geomorphological point of view, we should add noteworthy cultural aspects, such as the rock art that finds its expression here in the “coppelle” incisions on the roche moutonée, and the neolithic necropolis, which is one of the richest and most significant of its kind in Valle d’Aosta. The necropolis, which was discovered in 1968 near the village of the same name, stands in the most depressed area of the roche moutonée. The archaeological digs brought 66 cist tombs to light, that is, tombs shaped like a stone drawer protruding from the land, consisting of four upright slabs and a covering slab placed over the sides of the tomb.
The visit to the geological site also offers a stupendous balcony over the central valley.

How to get there:

From the Nus exit of the A5 motorway, take the S.S. 26. Near the entrance to the road for Chetoz, on the right is the Quarry of La Plantaz.
To reach Vollein, from the Chetoz crossroads, proceed on the right in the direction of Séran, then towards Pillod. Having reached the first crossroads, take the road for Argnod, Vignil on the right, until you reach the inhabited area of Vollein.

TECHNICAL NOTES
Altitude: between 500 m and 900 m
Overall duration of the tour: 1/2 day
Recommended period: spring, summer, autumn, in winter the itinerary is also practicable in the absence of snow.

The itinerary:

Departing from the bottom of the valley, the first proposed stop-off point is not far from La Plantaz, situated between the inhabited areas of Villefranche and Nus, near the bridge over the railway, near the quarry lay-by area at the edge of the road (1).
To reach Vollein from the quarry of La Plantaz, take the crossroads for Chetoz, proceed on the right in the direction of Séran, then towards Pillod. Having reached the first crossroads, take the road for Argnod, Vignil on the right, until you reach the inhabited area of Vollein.
Having parked the car near the inhabited area, go back on foot for a distance of approximately 200 m; walk down along a trail marked off by a wooden fence towards a depressed area that will allow you to cross the main trench by going left (2). From here, it is possible to reach the central part of the rise where the roche moutonnée area is situated with the erratic boulders, the necropolis and the areas that are more intensely pervaded by large cracks (3).
Although the latter two preferential observation points have been identified, there are erratic boulders and cracks throughout the area and therefore moving observation is required.
We recommend that you visit this site at sunset.