Sport Itineraries: Challand-Saint-Anselme

Just before Col Tzecore, the pass that connects the municipality of Challand-Saint-Anselme with Emarèse, you take route no. 1C on the right of the regional road and continue along this path until you reach the junction with path no. 5. From here you take the left-hand branch (no. 5) and go uphill as far as the Testa Comagna.

From the parking lot of Orbeillaz located at the end of the village, take the dirt track that flanks the Rû d’Arlaz . The path runs along the irrigation channel within a wooded area until it reaches a fork near a conduit; here the track goes downhill, overcoming the pipe through an underpass and then continuing slightly downhill to the beautiful waterfall formed by the Rû d’Arlaz.

At the beginning of the village of Orbeillaz a dirt road accompanies the course of the ru d’Arlaz offering wide views over the valley.

Along the canal are placed all the tools to carry out a path health consisting of exercises of various intensity.

From the village of Pésan, a paved road, which then becomes a dirt track, runs along the Ru Herbal irrigation channel, initially covered with concrete slabs. The path, among stone walls and fences, runs along the course of the canal and finally reaches a beautiful green area.

Near the bridge over the stream flowing down the valley of Chasten, a dirt track reaches Pian Tseuc and then, through ups and downs, the hamlet of Corvera and the meadows surrounding the houses of Bruge and Ney. It is possible to continue up to the paved road leading to the hamlet of Ollion in the municipality of Challand-Saint-Victor.

On the edge of the village of Tilly, at the municipal car park a beautiful mule, recently arranged, descends among the meadows flanked by a fence.
Passed with a few stone slabs a duct and then a fountain, the mule line takes on its ancient and original appearance with a stone bottom and flanked by walls.
The steep descent leads to the bridge over the Evançon stream (Pont da Fabreucca): the old structure remains the mighty stone svelaps.
The route continues on the opposite bank through a dense forest. A path deviates to the left and climbs with some turns keeping in the woods and then entering the woods on a dirt road at the building of Corvera.

Da Brusson si raggiunge lo splendido Col di Joux che regala splendidi panorami. Da qui si scende verso Saint-Vincent e si risale verso il capoluogo di Emarèse. In cima alla strada per il Col Tzecore c'è un area pic-nic con fontane. Dal colle parte poi la ripida discesa verso Challand-Saint-Ansèlme da cui si risale gradulamente verso Brusson. 

Lying in a hollow sheltered from the winds, Saint-Vincent boasts many fine vestiges from the past. Saint-Vincent owes its fame to one of the few authorised Casinos in Italy, which opened in 1947. During the summer you can climb up to Col de Joux along one of the most panoramic roads in the region, where you can enjoy splendid views over the whole valley. From here you go down the opposite slope as far as Brusson, continuing towards the valley bottom and passing the villages of Challand-Saint-Anselme and Challand-Saint-Victor. As soon as you are through this last village, you can already see Verrès, dominated by its imposing castle built in the latter half of the 14th century. Continuing on towards Aosta, just after Verrès, you come to Champdepraz, home of the Parco Naturale del Mont Avic, the only regional park in Val d’Aosta. You then meet the ancient village of Montjovet, located in a strategic position along the Roman “Via Galliarum” and overlooked by Saint-Germain Castle (11th century) of which you can still see a beautiful tower and a few remaining sections of wall.

Places you go through on the route:
- Saint-Vincent (575 m)
- Saint-Vincent spa baths 1.4 km (633 m)
- Emarèse junction 9.1 km (1,150 m)
- Col de Joux 16.2 km (1,620 m)
- Col de Joux junction 22.3 km (1,280 m)
- Brusson 23.6 km (1,265 m)
- Arcesaz 26.4 km (1,130 m)
- Challand-Saint-Anselme 29.35 km (1,030 m)
- Challand-Saint-Victor 34.1 km (745 m)
- Verrès 39.3 km (379 m)
- Montjovet 44.2 km (390 m)
- Saint-Vincent 51 km (575 m)

THE “LARD” OF ARNAD
A recommendation for the connoisseur: past the Bard Fort and then make a stop at Arnad and request some of the famous lard. Spicy and flavored with mountain herbs, the “Lard d’Arnad” adds to any dish an authentic taste, the taste of the Aosta Valley. In 1996 it received the Protected Designation of Origin. Every year, on the last Sunday in August, the traditional “Féhta dou Lard” - Lard Festival - unfolds, which attracts thousands of tourists.

BRUSSON
The climb from Verrès, along the lower part of the Val d'Ayas, takes you to Challand-Saint-Victor where you can make a detour to Lake Villa, a nature reserve. Continuing further, you will pass Challand-Saint-Ansèlme, you will see the Graines castle, built in the 11th century on a rocky spur, and you will reach Brusson, at 1338 meters above sea level, where you can visit the Chamousira gold mines and the dairy  La Fromagerie Haut Val d'Ayas.
From Brusson starts the road that leads to Col di Joux, which connects the Val d'Ayas with Saint-Vincent.

SAINT-VINCENT
A charming scenic road descends from the 5,380 feet of Col di Joux to Saint-Vincent, exclusive town overlooking the central valley, known as the “Riviera of the Alps” for its special climatic conditions. The ideal location to spend a few days of vacation in absolute relaxation, but also just for a pleasant break before you get on the road to the bottom of the valley: It’s the right time for a pizza, an ice-cream, a stroll through the elegant streets of the center and – why not?- a short trip to the slot-machines at the famous Casino de La Vallée.