Chateau: History, Nature and Trails

History and Sacred Art

Chateau combines medieval history with sacred art, natural history and trails into the landscape. In the village stands a medieval square tower, built on the initiative of the Lords of Bard in the 11th century. After suffering damage in 1311, the tower was restored in 1320. In the 12th and 14th centuries, it served as an observation post. For visitors interested in historic buildings, this makes a single structure tangible across several periods.

The parish church of San Nicola provides another architectural focal point. The architect Giovanni Ferro (Jean Fer) renovated and enlarged it between 1728 and 1732. The parish church contains a painted and gilded Baroque wooden altar by Giovanni Battista Gilardi, dating from 1741. San Nicola was probably the chapel of the castle. The church, tower and documented dates provide concrete points of reference in the history of the village. The church thus combines its probable connection to the castle with an 18th-century Baroque work of art.

Natural History in Mont Avic

The visitor center of Mont Avic Nature Park was established in Villa Biamonti, a building constructed at the beginning of the 20th century as a tourist residence. The visitor center is located in the Fraz Chateau district of Champorcher. It illustrates the particularly interesting geological and morphological features of the Dondena Valley with photographs, specimens, dynamic models and thematic maps. Villa Biamonti combines the building’s early tourist use with the natural history of the Dondena Valley. Geology and terrain are presented there through various materials and models. For those interested in natural history, both the building and the landscape of the Dondena Valley are therefore central.

Hiking and Cross-Country Skiing

The Chateau–Lago Vercoche hike begins in Chateau and leads to Lago Vercoche. The Moulin cross-country skiing loop covers a total distance of 5 km between the hamlets of Château and Chardonney. If you plan your days around your preferred form of exercise, the two routes differ in terms of sport, route and the 5 km distance. For planning your day, you can choose Lago Vercoche as a fixed hiking destination or the Moulin loop as a route between two hamlets. This keeps the route choice tied to specific points in Chateau and its surroundings.

Castles, Mountains and a Museum Nearby

The castles of Castello di Issogne, Castello di Verrès and Castello di Saint-Germain are located near Chateau. Also nearby are Col di Courtil, Monte Glacier, the Monte Belpla peak and Monte Marzo. In addition, there is the Museo delle Alpi Nel Forte museum. The museum adds another cultural point of reference in the area around Chateau to the castles and mountains. For those interested in culture, the view thus extends beyond the tower and the parish church of San Nicola to other historic sites and landscape destinations.

More Destinations

Pré-Saint-Didier, Sarre, Rhêmes-Notre-Dame, Fontainemore, Valtournenche, Allein, Saint-Rhémy-En-Bosses, Issogne

To the higher-level travel overview: Aosta Valley.