Sport Itineraries: Châtillon

Chambave is a place famous for its wines. From here you take the road for Saint-Denis, where the Castle of Cly (11th century) is located and where mediaeval pageants are held in the summer. You continue uphill along the road which crosses the Col de Saint-Pantaléon, leading to Torgnon.
Torgnon is an ancient village with numerous scattered hamlets that still retain the features of Alpine architecture. The village lies in a sunny position with splendid views of the Matterhorn. From here you go downhill towards Antey-Saint-André from where you can reach La Magdeleine or continue on as far as Breuil Cervinia. The descent, on the other hand, continues down as far as Châtillon, a village, which extends over a vast hollow on the slopes of the Valtournenche.

Places you go through on the route:
- Chambave (520 m )
- Saint-Denis 4 km (830 m)
- Petit Brusson 8.3 km (1140 m)
- Col San Pantaleone 16.4 km (1,650 m)
- Torgnon 19.7 km (1530 m)
- Antey-Saint-André 26.1 km (1,045 m)
- Covalu Hydro-electric power station 30.2 km (780 m )
- Chatillon 33.6 km (530 m)
- Pontey junction 35.7 km (460 m)
- Chambave 38.6 km (520 m)

Park the car in Bellecombe, a hamlet in the municipality of Châtillon, which can be reached on the road for Ussel, then take the winding private road that is closed to traffic, and go up to Alpe Mont Ros Désot. Here, take the trail (no. 2) to the right, go past a stream and head leftwards until you reach the first ruins of Biolasse, then Alpe Thoule. The slope now begins to increase considerably until it reaches the crest at a mountain pass, on the left of which rises Mount Lyan. Continue on the right along the full length of the crest between the central valley and the valley of Champorcher to reach a long semi-flat section that joins with trail no. 8 from Hérin. From here, go up the wide steep ridge until you come to the peak of Mount Barbeston.

To get to Promiod, in the municipality of Châtillon, follow the Valtournenche road until you come to the municipality of Antey-Saint-André. Next take the regional road towards Magdeleine and after about 4 km, turn right at a crossroad, following directions for the Dalai Lama campsite. Go past the campsite and you come to a square before the village of Promiod, where you can park the car. Follow itinerary 105 which goes through the village and then continues on a mule track that goes up through the walls and bushes, until it meets the road that leads up to the pastures. Take the branch that goes up and past the ruins of Boettes, then ignore the track to the left of the crossroad, and continue along the private road on the right, which crosses t he Promiod stream, 1.5 km later. When you come to another crossroad, ignore the flat road and continue to the left until you get to Alpe Arsine and then Alpe Francou. At the upper residential area, the trail goes off to the right to reach a wide grassy crest that takes you to the summit, amidst charming panoramic views.

When you get to, a hamlet in the municipality of Châtillon which is reached on the road that goes up to Usuare and take itinerary 1, a short distance from the car park. The trail runs alongside several meadows until it reaches a crossroad, where it stays left and enters the woods, going around the slopes of Mont Lyan until it gets to the uninhabited village of Rodoz. It now goes up to the right amidst abandoned cultivations, and crosses a watershed to reach a crossroad on the opposite side, where you leave the left-hand path, and continue straight on a private road on the right, until, after ignoring the right-hand track at another crossroad, you finally come to Gettaz.

Technical difficulty: medium
Physical difficulty: medium
Cyclability: 100%
Type of route: mixed asphalt, dirt road, path

The "Ciclovia dello Zerbion" mountain bike or e-bike route winds along paths, country roads, forest tracks and the characteristic ru, ancient irrigation channels. It connects the high-altitude panoramas to the valley villages of Saint-Vincent and Châtillon, with refreshment points along the way for a break.

Start from the Promiod hamlet of Châtillon, at 1,521 metres above sea level. You start pedaling, reaching, after about 3.5 km, the highest point of the route at 1,773 metres. You then descend towards the village of Perrière, then climb back up towards Amay and reach the panoramic Col di Joux.
From here, descend towards Sommarèse and Eresaz. If you have time, take a short detour and walk to the geosite “Borna da ghiasa,” a cavity in the rock from which a constant flow of cold air blows.

Continue towards Emarèse, and from there descend to Saint-Vincent. Pedal through the town, passing by the parish church and the archaeological site below and near the tourist office.

Finally, head towards Châtillon, where your mountain bike ride ends at the train station, with the satisfaction of having admired, along the way, enchanting views and traditional villages.

Follow the trail of the carriage road north-eastwards as far as the Arsine mountain pastures at 1837 m. Turn right and head along the flat road through the spartan forest until you come to the Francou chalet at 2025 m. Carry on in the same direction until you come out of the forest. Following the long, wide dorsal, you will come to the final ridge and in no time at all, on foot, you will be at the top.

Technical difficulty: medium (difficult descents)
Physical difficulty: medium/difficult
Bike-friendly: 90%
Type of Route: mixed asphalt, dirt, path

Take the Valle d’Aosta State Road no. 26 or A5 Motorway and exit at Châtillon - Saint-Vincent. Follow the State Road 26 to the Saint-Vincent village and then leave the car in the municipal square with the sports facility where the route begins.

You follow via Ponte Romano until the Feilley crossroads and then go uphill until the Estaod (village of Montjovet municipality) crossroads (702 metres above sea level) on the asphalt road. Then you descend to the Ruelle hamlet and continue until you come to the old church of Saint-Germain and the ancient village of Montjovet.
After having passed the Dora Baltea River near the district’s hydroelectric plant, continuing along the asphalt road leads you to Fiusey di Montjovet. Then carrying on further along the asphalt road that leans against the rocky side on the orographic right side of the Dora Baltea, you arrive at the village of Gettaz. After reaching the crossroads located near the fountain (drinking water) of this village, you take the road that goes up on the right in the direction of Col Marcage and then turn onto the farm track until the hill itself before reaching Rodoz by following a rather technical path; from here, you continue along the path, wheeling your bikes alongside you for part of it, (following the red stickers – provisional signposting that indicate the direction of Bellecombe of Châtillon), and then come to a very technical path before reaching the village of Bellecombe. Once at this point, the descent to Ussel can be made on asphalt road or by following the path of the martze-a-pià race until you reach the village of Ussel.

From this point, a paved path leads to the bridge of Pontey at the railway station of Châtillon, besides which, following the farm track that flanks the Dora Baltea, you reach the hamlet of Tenso and then the ex Saint-Vincent train station before returning on the municipal asphalted road to the sports facility square from where you set out.

The first municipality in the Aosta Valley is Pont-Saint-Martin. After passing the municipalities of Donnas, the fort of Bard, Hône, Arnad, Verrès and Montjovet, the short climb of the "Mongiovetta" begins which takes you to Saint-Vincent and then to Châtillon. Then after crossing Chambave, Champagne (Verrayes) and Nus, you arrive at the gates of Aosta, where the state road becomes two lanes in each direction in the municipalities of Quart and Saint-Christophe (commercial area).

After a possible stop in Aosta, having passed the Aosta Valley capital (Corso Ivrea, Via Roma and Via Parigi with numerous roundabouts) and after the crossroads which leads to the Great Saint Bernard state road N. 27, the road 26 continues westwards and crosses Sarre (crossroads for Cogne), Saint-Pierre, Villeneuve (crossroads for Introd and the valleys of Rhêmes and Valsavarenche), Arvier, Léverogne (crossroads for Valgrisenche), passes near Derby (fraction of La Salle), crosses  La Salle and then Morgex until you reach Pré-Saint-Didier (crossroads for La Thuile and, in summer, for the Little Saint-Bernard pass). From here continue to Courmayeur.

To return you can opt for the transfer route along the A5 motorway, which crosses the entire central valley, from Courmayeur to Pont-Saint-Martin. You will find indicated all the toll booths and exits that you may need to reach the starting points of the motorbike itineraries or to return home at the end of your excursions.