Valle d'Aosta, the perfect region for those who want to rest, walk and experience culture. The various traditions are preserved and handed down from generation to generation. Impossible not to succumb to the temptations of the gluttony thanks to the gastronomic specialties.
Val D'Ayas is made up of the hamlets of Antagnod, Champoluc, Franchey, Saint-Jacques and Crest. Right at the foot of Monte Rosa, open and sunny. Ideal for enjoying the view and perceiving its strength, might, beauty. The landscapes are truly varied. From chestnut and beech woods to conifers, rocks and glaciers. Walks in late summer or autumn are ideal if you want to give yourself a regenerating peace. Enchanting glimpses enhanced by the different shades of color of the woods, which begin to be tinged with golden yellow and red.
The Great Walser Path: an itinerary on the traces of a frontier civilization
Il Great Walser Trail it is a path that crosses Valtournenche, Val d'Ayas and Valle di Gressoney. It follows in the footsteps of the Walser people who, starting from the XNUMXth century, colonized the Aosta Valley.
A series of interpretative panels help to recognize and reconstruct the signs of the culture encountered in the area. Facing the path, you retrace the path taken by the Vallesani, who migrated in search of new lands between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries.
The path ideally unites the centers of Walser culture, traveling in the wide world of alpine culture in Valle D'Aosta and representing an effective idea of what the mountain was like in past centuries and what it meant to live there, often at inaccessible altitudes.
The castles in the Aosta Valley: The Castle of Graines
The first castles in Valle D'Aosta were built between the beginning of the XNUMXth and the XNUMXth century, often on previous fortifications. Not infrequently they consisted of a keep or donjon, surrounded by walls. This is the case of the Graines Castle, one of the most evocative of the Region. It stands on a high rocky promontory, from which it dominates the town of Brusson and much of the Ayas Valley. This is a decidedly strategic position. Ideal from a defensive point of view and the elevated position allowed it to control the surrounding area.
Graines is a typical example of a primitive castle in Valle D'Aosta. Essentially composed of a large wall of irregular shape to adapt to the nature of the terrain. It enclosed inside a large square tower and a small chapel, the only ones of which a trace has remained. In addition to being the house of the lord, the Castle represented the last bastion of defense.
The Castle of Graines: between legends and novels
According to a legend, it is precisely in Valle D'Aosta that a great treasure is buried under the remains of the castle. One night a mysterious voice appeared to a shepherd in a dream indicating the exact spot to dig to find the treasure. However, he was warned to leave before the rooster crowed for the third time at dawn. The next night the shepherd followed the directions and discovered he found the treasure. Dazzled by riches, however, he lost track of time and too late he noticed the crowing of the cock. He was thus trapped along with the treasure.
