Ayas: Trails, Mountain Landscapes and Local Culture

Ayas Between Glacier Views and Cultural Landscapes

Ayas appeals to you if you do not want to reduce a mountain trip to a single theme. In Champoluc, a broad, sunny basin landscape meets a horizon shaped by glaciers. At the same time, the range of experiences extends from historic churches and traditional crafts to hiking trails, mountain bike routes and winter sports. When choosing accommodation, your preferred daily rhythm can therefore be decisive: you can shape your stay more around the cultural sites of Antagnod and Crest, the trails around Barmasc and the Cime Bianche, or the sports facilities of Champoluc and Pian Villy.

Landscape Between Monte Rosa and the Cime Bianche

The Vallone delle Cime Bianche lies entirely within the municipality of Ayas. It stretches approximately 10 kilometres from east to west to the watershed with Valtournenche and is designated as a Zona di Protezione Speciale, or ZPS, forming part of the European Natura 2000 network. Lago Blu lies at the foot of Monte Rosa. Snowshoes are required to access it in winter. Protected landscapes, distinctive mountain areas and clearly seasonal planning are therefore among the aspects you can take into account in Ayas.

Antagnod, Crest and Barmasc: History in the Villages

In Antagnod, the Museo di Arte Sacra is housed in a cemetery chapel dating from the late 15th century, next to the parish church of San Martino. The museum preserves the Vierge Ouvrante, a rare statue from the mid-14th century that was found in the parish church of Antagnod. Maison Fournier in the historic centre of Antagnod houses a permanent exhibition of traditional crafts from the Aosta Valley. The Parrocchiale di San Martino is also worth visiting for its historic furnishings: the main altar was created through work carried out between 1500 and 1800 and was consecrated on 29 May 1716. The new church, dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, was consecrated on 24 October 1852.

Traditional wooden Rascard houses have been preserved in the village of Crest, with the original buildings left unaltered. Crest is also associated with the traditional handcrafted production of wooden sabots. In Barmasc, the Santuario di Notre-Dame du Bon Secours at an altitude of 1,828 metres was a destination for processions, partly because a spring beneath the chapel was considered miraculous. These places give Ayas a cultural dimension that is directly connected with architecture, religious history and regional crafts.

The Ru Courtod is a 25-kilometre-long irrigation channel. It was built in the Ayas and Brusson area by the “free men” of the Saint-Vincent hill country using shovels and pickaxes. Open sections of the Ru Courtod now form a historic walking route through extensive meadows and numerous alpine pastures.

Hiking, Cycling and Winter Sports

The hike from Barmasc to Col Portola takes about one hour, is classified as E – escursionistico, and has an elevation gain of 515 metres. The Barmasc–Monte Zerbion route follows trail 105 via Col Portola to the summit of Monte Zerbion and offers panoramic views of the central valley. Another route leads from Blanchard to Colle Superiore Cime Bianche, crosses the Vallone delle Cime Bianche and passes peaks such as Gran Tournalin, Monte Roisetta and Rocca di Veraz.

The Rifugio Grand Tournalin mountain hut is located at an altitude of 2,535 metres in the Vallone di Nannaz and can be reached from Saint-Jacques or Mandrou. Ayas offers numerous signposted mountain bike routes for summer activities. Parco Pian Villy has a pump track with earthen rollers and banked turns, as well as sections of varying difficulty for children up to 15 years old. The park also has an equipped picnic area, beach volleyball and soccer-volley courts, a paintball field, a sun terrace, a kiosk and children's entertainment.

Winter sports are also well represented in Ayas. The Champoluc-Frachey area belongs to the Monterosa Ski area and has slopes of varying difficulty for beginners through experienced skiers. Monterosa Ski connects three Alpine valleys in a single ski area. The Villy slope starts at the Champoluc car park; the Periasc slopes consist of four circuits, two of which are shorter sections of the longer circuit.

Planning Guidance for Your Trip

Ayas is served by the “Verrès – Saint-Jacques” bus route. Choose a hotel or other accommodation in Ayas according to the travel plan that matters most to you, rather than limiting the destination to a single season or activity.

Discover More Destinations

Also Lillianes, Avise, Verrand, Coveyrand, Sarre, Breuil-Cervinia, Chateau and Torgnon offer further points of interest for planning your trip.

For the overarching travel overview: Aosta Valley.