Fontainemore between Mont Mars and Mountain Culture

Mont Mars: Landscape and Trails

Fontainemore combines the landscape of the Mont Mars Nature Reserve with rural architecture and religious heritage. The protected area covers approximately 390 hectares and extends from 1,670 metres to the 2,600-metre summit of Mont Mars. It offers trails to clear mountain waters, snowshoe routes and more challenging hikes to the peaks. A wide selection of routes is considered suitable for all seasons. This allows you to plan your trip around peaceful nature experiences as well as more demanding mountain tours.

Visitor Centre and Oropa Procession

At the visitor centre of the Mont Mars Nature Reserve, you will find information, natural history publications and a map of the area showing trails and points of interest. A multipurpose room is available for educational and cultural events. Permanent exhibitions are dedicated to the protected area and the Oropa Procession, a pilgrimage from the municipality of Fontainemore whose origins date back to the second half of the 16th century.

Rural Architecture at the Ecomuseum

The Ecomuseo della media montagna uses two restored buildings to present Fontainemore’s rural architecture with traditional furnishings and objects. The ecomuseum also includes a wooden rascard. It contains an area for threshing rye and storing supplies, as well as a cellar for ageing cheese. The exhibition of tools used in Fontainemore’s traditional, seasonal masonry work provides a further insight; this craft is known as “macon”.

Church, Bridge and Gorge

The parish church of Sant'Antonio Abate in Fontainemore was built in 1494. It has a 15th-century rounded apse, a rose window bearing the Vallaise coat of arms, and five Baroque and Rococo altars. The church can be reached on foot via the stone bridge over the Lys. Another striking landform is the Orrido di Guillemore: a deep gorge carved into the rock by the Lys, with an impressive waterfall. For several centuries, this site was an obligatory passage where two mule tracks converged as they climbed through the Lys Valley.

Farettaz and Life in the Mountain Village

Farettaz is a typical example of a permanently inhabited rural settlement in the middle mountains of the Aosta Valley. The bread oven, mill, school and chapel are regarded as symbols of the independence of a mountain village. In Farettaz, a 16th-century mill and the village bread oven have been restored and put back into operation.

Trails and Activities for Different Interests

The Sentiero della volpe is considered a child-friendly circular trail and features several wooden sculptures along the route. Parco Avventura Fontainemore has four adventure courses of varying difficulty. The obstacles are set at increasing heights of 1.5, 3, 6 and 9 metres. Families can therefore include a designed circular trail and a height-based experience in their plans, while the nature reserve also offers more challenging hikes.

Products from the Valley and Getting There

Local livestock products can be tasted and purchased at Caseificio La Vallaise. The cheese dairy collects and processes milk from the entire valley. For travelling to Fontainemore, the village can be reached by bus on the “Pont-Saint-Martin – Gressoney” route. When choosing your hotel, you can therefore first decide whether nature trails, mountain history, family activities or local products should be the focus of your stay.

More Destinations

For your further travel planning: Acque Fredde, Verrayes, Frachey, Lillianes, Champdepraz, Roisan, Valpelline and Challand-Saint-Victor.

For the overarching travel overview: Aosta Valley.