Brusson - Challand-Saint-Anselme - Leke of Villa - Saint-Vincent - Col de Joux - Brusson
After the lake, a protected area with excellent landscape, you descend to the coast of the valley: you pass through small villages, ride along a stretch of the Roman road of the Gauls (with traces of the ancient road and the hollow of cart wheels on the rocks), discover small churches and chapels, one of which has a façade frescoed by the Valdostan painter Italo Mus.
After Saint-Vincent and a recommended stop at the traces of the ancient Roman bridge of the road to Gaul, you climb up towards the Col de Joux, with a series of chapels and small churches to look at, along with a magnificent landscape and forest, which finally take you to Brusson.
21 Discoverable heritages
Small patrimonyOld Dairy Community Center in Ville
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Ancient Roman Route
Traces on rock of the passage of carts. The stretch from Balmas to Toffoz corresponds to the Roman ancient road - Small patrimony
Chapel of Amay
en - Small patrimony
Chapel of Grun
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Chapel of Moron
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Chapel of Pracourt
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Chapel of Saint-Roch
Saint-Roch chapel near the village of Balmes, next to the Roman road to Gaules - Small patrimony
Chapel of Salirod
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Chapel of the Holy Innocents
Chapel of the Holy Innocents. The fresco on the façade is by Italo Mus. Also of note is the text on the outer side wall. - Small patrimony
Chenal Castle
The castle was not built before the 13th century and had a rectangular floor plan.
It belonged to the lords of Montjovet and only later became property of the Challant family, following the marriage between Ebalo the Great and Alexie of Chenal: in this way the two houses could control the passages along the road between Chenal and the Montjovet castle.
The castle is nowdays in ruins. - Small patrimony
Villa Challand Castle
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Montjovet Castle - Saint Germain
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Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
The history of the parish of Montjovet is very complex. In Pope Alexander III's bull of 20 April 1176, the 'ecclesia sancti Eusebii de Plubeio', probably located on the Montjovet plain, is mentioned among the churches dependent on the bishop of Aosta. The toponym Publey also appears among the stops on the journey from Canterbury to Rome made by Abbot Sigeric in 990 along the so-called 'Francigena' road. Two hospitals, founded in the hamlet and village of Plout, provided care for travellers in the Middle Ages. We do not know the exact spot where the parish church of S. Eusebio must have stood, perhaps destroyed along with numerous other houses by a huge landslide that devastated the Montjovet hill in the 10th century, changing the topography of the area and the main road axis. The seat of the parish was perhaps already then transferred to the village, whose church, dedicated to Our Lady, retains some Gothic elements to this day. At the beginning of the 15th century, a branch church was built in honour of St Eusebius and St Leodegarius (Léger) near the Dora, in the locality of Savi, but this too was destroyed, along with the cemetery, by a flood in October 1586.
Around 1590, another branch was built at Plangerp, dedicated like the older church to St Eusebius. Festive Masses and funerals were celebrated there. The parish of Montjovet, originally administered by diocesan priests, was ceded in 1433 to the provostship of Saint-Gilles of Verrès, under whose dependency it remained, amidst numerous controversies, until the middle of the 18th century, when it passed back into the hands of the bishop of Aosta. For a certain period, at the time of its dependence on Saint-Gilles, the right to appoint the parish priest was held by the noble Challant family. (From the website of the municipality of Montjovet)
- Small patrimony
Church of Saint Fabien and Saint Sébastien
Eglise de Saint Fabien et Saint Sébastien - Small patrimony
Church of Saint-Germain
Church of Saint-Germain 
LakeVilla lake
The protected area of Lake Villa is located in the municipality of Challand-Saint-Victor. From a geological point of view, it is a lake excavated in a basin by magmatic rocks from an ocean floor. These rocks were then transformed during the corrugation phase of the Alpine chain.
From a naturalistic point of view, it is home to a rich marsh vegetation with rushes and sedges, including the valuable Carice tomentosa. Aquatic species include the white water lily and the amphibious polygon, while the fauna includes the maraiola lizard and the grass snake on land, and cyprinids and eels in water.
The context is a forest of Scots pine, downy oak and chestnut. It is a studied and protected area as a breeding site for various amphibians.
The Villa Lake Nature Reserve was established in 1982 and covers an area of 25 hectares between 810 and 980 metres above sea level.- Small patrimony
Partisan Memorial
E-bike charger
PanoramaLandscape at the Orbeillaz waterfall
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Roman bridge
- Panorama
Brusson playground and lake
The Brusson lake is an unmissable destination for everyone. The little ones in particular will find along its shores a playground, a beach volleyball court and many meadows where they can run and have fun.
Those who enjoy walking can walk around the entire lake, passing over beautiful grassy areas and through a small stretch of forest. Or they can discover the small wetland area of the 'Goya de Tchmpats' from the wooden walkways and stop at another playground along the way.
Altimetric profile
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