Valpelline: Seupa, Mining History and Paths into the Landscape

Valpelline between Flavour and Mountain Landscapes

Valpelline offers several distinct ways to approach a trip: through a regional speciality, lively festivals, traces of mining and paths into a varied landscape.

Seupa à la Vapelenentse and Local Tradition

A dish particularly closely associated with the Valpelline area is Seupa à la Vapelenentse. This traditional dish is prepared with stale white bread, Fontina, butter, a rich broth and savoy cabbage. On the last weekend of July, the traditional Seupa à la Vapelenentse festival takes place every year in the village of Valpelline. This gives the speciality a fixed place in the village's annual calendar and makes it a specific opportunity to discover the local food culture.

The Valpelline Visitor Centre is located in the hamlet of Frissonière at an altitude of 1,147 metres above sea level. Guided tours of the maturation cellar are offered there; these tours must be booked at least 24 hours in advance. If you would like to include this insight in your plans, the reservation is therefore one of the important timing requirements of your visit.

Festivals and Historical Traces

The cultural points of interest in Valpelline also take different forms. Casaforte La Tour de Valpelline is currently not open to visitors. In La Fabrique, the remains of the former copper smelters are still visible. The Fiera di Valpelline is also known as Fea de Vapeleunna. It began as a livestock market and is now a showcase for typical products from the Aosta Valley.

Every year on 16 August, the community gathers at the Cappella di San Rocco in Semon to celebrate San Rocco.

Route, Water and Nature

The route to Becca di Viou from Valpelline initially passes through woodland, then across the middle pastures and finally into the wild valley leading to Lago d'Arpisson. For planning purposes, the sequence of landscapes is particularly interesting: the character of the path changes step by step, without any additional classification of difficulty or duration being necessary.

Fishing on the Buthier near Valpelline is regulated and requires special permits.

History to Discover

The Sentiero del Rame leads through the mining area of Ollomont and Valpelline, passing tunnels, mining buildings, ore-smelting facilities, play and adventure parks, museums and information points. The historic smelters are still visible in La Fabrique, while the trail connects other sites in the mining area.

The Parco giochi di Valpelline is located on the Sentiero del Rame near the historic smelters and combines recreation with learning about history in a natural setting.

Other Places Nearby

If you would like to compare other destinations besides Valpelline, you can find Nus, Champoluc, Allein, Gressan, Issime, Saint Pierre, Charvensod and Saint Jacques here.

For the overarching travel overview: Aosta Valley.