Hiking (mountain trail, in places narrow and exposed)
Alpine route (equipped or very exposed section, snow field, blocks)
D20
Challand-Saint-Victor » Covarey
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5h55 |
18.944 km
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982 m
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422 m
The waterfall at Isollaz, the church of San Préjet, the medieval castle at Villa and the imposing fortress at Verrès are major landmarks along this part of the route, that ends at Covarey, in the heart of the Mont Avic Regional Park.
This stage begins in the area of Challand-Saint-Victor, on the trail marked 1. It goes past the waterfalls at Isollaz and climbs towards the hamlet of Targnod and the chapel of Saint-Préjet. The trail then continues along a rocky outcrop to the medieval castle of Villa, and then heads into the Lake Villa nature reserve and down to the Nasté pass (675m) from where there are views of the jagged outline of Mount Avic on the opposite side of the valley. Further down is the village of Torille in the area of Vèrres. The trail now runs along the banks of the Dora Baltea stream to the bridge, upon which it joins the local road. At Fabbrica, near Champdepraz, follow the signs for trails 102, 3a, 3b and 4a along the road to Champdepraz itself. Then follow the signs for Gettaz des Allemands. Continue along a broad track, the road and the bridge at Gorf. The trail is marked 102, 3a, 3b, 4a and, having passed a chestnut wood, it leads to Gettaz. Leave the village and move on to the final stretch of the stage that leads to the village of Covarey, with its many fields and pastureland, seat of the Administrative Centre for the Mont Avic nature reserve. (Regione Valle d’Aosta)
Natural and cultural heritage
At Isollaz there is a remarkable, 40 metre high, waterfall that stems from the Evaçon stream. From here, a trail leads to Targnod and the chapel of Saint-Préjet, that dates from 1501. In the franco-provençal dialect that is still widely spoken in Aosta valley, prédsì means to speak, and the name of the saint is repeated until children with stammers are cured of the problem. On a rocky outcrop stands the medieval castle of Villa, which belonged to the Challant family from the 1200s onwards. Only the walls remain of this castle as the windows, beams and various architectural features have been removed over the years. Further on is the Lago di Villa nature reserve, set up in 1992 to preserve the flora and fauna, and its waters are home to the wall lizard, the western whip snake, giant Danio and eels. The nature reserve is the largest breeding centre in Aosta valley for the common Toad. Two very rare plants in Aosta valley are also to be found here: the water lily and Willow grass or Amphibious Bistort, as well as the common reed. Upon reaching Torille village, the landscape is dominated by the imposing fortress at Verrès, built between 1361 and 1390 by Ibleto di Challant. The castle is a grand affair, monobloc, over 30 metres high, with cannons, punt-guns and, since 1536, surrounded by fortified walls. It was abandoned towards the end of the 17th century and bought in 1896 by D'Andrade who restored its external appearance and handed it over to the state. Attention must be drawn to the importance of the Challant family, powerful nobles whose destiny was intimately linked with that of Aosta valley for seven centuries, thus becoming its emblem. Between the 10th and 11th centuries, the six distinct branches of the family owned about 40 castles, including that of Issogne, Fénis as well as Verrès. The characters that stand out are Ibleto, who ruled Savoy, was governor of Nice and founder of the castle at Verrès; Bonifacio, governor of Piedmont; and Giorgio, a refined merchant and founder of the castle at Issogne and the Priory of Sant'Orso in Aosta. Next on the itinerary is the village of Champdepraz which contains a church that dates from 1600, dedicated to San Francesco de Sales. There are also green marble quarries and the Mont Avic natural Park (see stage D21). Along the climb to Covarey the walker comes across the unusual village of Gettaz des Allemands, a Walser settlement that still contains rural buildings for storing grain, potatoes and chestnuts. (Regione Valle d’Aosta)
Useful topographic maps
Ivrea, Biella e Bassa Valle d'Aosta ~ Istituto Geografico Centrale (1:50.000)
Useful guidebooks
Guida n° 2-I monti di Aosta, Cogne, l'Avic e Champorcher ~ Le Guide dell'Escursionista (ISBN )
I laghi della Valle d'Aosta, Sergio Piotti. ~ Ferrari Editrice (ISBN )
Favourites, criticisms ? Make your personal comments on this stage. For more general notes please use the comments section of the page Over to the Via Alpinists.
FX - 2023-10-10
(suite) Sur la partie Challand-Gettaz, au-dessus de Challand, parking/aire pique-nique (panneaux solaires pour charge électrique). A proximité, superbe chemin Land'Art hors du sentier mais qui permet de voir quelques œuvres.
En redescendant vers Lago di Villa, beau plat herbeux (soyez discrets si vous bivouaquez. Autorisé... pas sûr que ce soit autorisé). Au Col de Nache, très beau plat herbeux parfait pour un bivouac.
A Torille, grand bar/restaurant au feu. Verrès n'est pas si loin (20/30 minutes à pieds) avec plusieurs magasins : Vertical (magasin de sport, derrière The Studio), puis D-Piu (pas cher mais peu de choix) et un peu plus loin un grand Conad. A La Fabrique, petite épicerie de dépannage mais peu de chose, bar et boulangerie.
ATTENTION à partir de là vous entrez dans le Parc du Mont-Avic aux règles strictes (bivouac au-dessus de 2500m et seulement de 20h à 8h).
Pensez aussi à faire des stocks d'eau.
FX - 2023-10-10
Itinéraire réalisé de Riale (D1) à MontCenis (D34) du 19/08 au 12/09/23.
Ce parcours D20 prévoit un trajet de Challand St Victor à Chantonnet, puis le lendemain remonte par les lacs della Serva, et à proximité des lacs Bianco, Vallette, Negro... très prisés, pour finir au Refuge Dondena.
Trace gpx : https://www.openrunner.com/route-details/17072014
Sur cette partie, nous avons fait un autre choix, après Gettaz des Allemands, un peu plus sauvage qui ne va pas jusqu'à Chantonnet et monte directement vers le Refuge de Barbustel.
Cf ViaAlpina Blue - D20/D21 variante : https://www.openrunner.com/route-details/17559716
Dans le sens Covarey - Challand (compléments d'information)
A Covarey : Il faut aller vers le parking en contrebas du village et prendre direction Fussa (sentier 4)
A Torille : prendre le chemin (103) montant à Chiesa di Montjovet
Au col, continuer à monter un peu sur la droite (direction est) et pas en face (nord).
Automatic translation
[Google]
In the sense Covarey - Challand (additional information)
Covarey A: You must go to the car park below the village and take direction Fussa (path 4)
A Torille: take the path (103) amount to Chiesa di Montjovet
Neck, continue to rise a little to the right (east) and not in front (north).
juillet 2010
L’hôtel de Challand St Victor indiqué sur le site VA n’existe plus depuis 2 ans.
Le B&B “Sam Suffy” doit être prévenu, sinon vous risquez de trouver porte close.
Dernière possibilité : Challand Saint Anselme à 4 km.
Automatic translation
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July 2010
The hotel Challand St Victor VA listed on the site no longer exists since 2 years.
The B & B "Sam Suffy" must be warned, if you could find the door closed.
Last chance: Challand Saint Anselm 4 km.
ROUSSELLE - 2010-01-04
Très bon accueil à Affittacamere SAM'SUFFY àCastello di Villa Tél. 0125/967903 Mail info@samsuffy.com
Automatic translation
[Google]
Très bon accueil à House SAM'SUFFY àCastello Villa Tél 0125/967903 Mail info@samsuffy.com
|
5h55 |
18.944 km
|
982 m
|
422 m
Favourites, criticisms ? Make your personal comments on this stage. For more general notes please use the comments section of the page Over to the Via Alpinists.