Saint-Vincent – Col Di Joux – Verrès

by Winfried Dobbe
2 months ago
Near Saint-Vincent, IT

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Source: https://www.lovevda.it/en/database/7/cycling/saint-vincent/cyclotour-saint-vincent-%E2%80%93-col-di-joux-%E2%80%93-verres-%E2%80%93-saint-vincent/2576

Lying in a hollow sheltered from the winds, Saint-Vincent boasts many fine vestiges from the past. Saint-Vincent owes its fame to one of the few authorised Casinos in Italy, which opened in 1947. During the summer you can climb up to Col de Joux along one of the most panoramic roads in the region, where you can enjoy splendid views over the whole valley. From here you go down the opposite slope as far as Brusson, continuing towards the valley bottom and passing the villages of Challand-Saint-Anselme and Challand-Saint-Victor. As soon as you are through this last village, you can already see Verrès, dominated by its imposing castle built in the latter half of the 14th century. Continuing on towards Aosta, just after Verrès, you come to Champdepraz, home of the Parco Naturale del Mont Avic, the only regional park in Val d’Aosta. You then meet the ancient village of Montjovet, located in a strategic position along the Roman “Via Galliarum” and overlooked by Saint-Germain Castle (11th century) of which you can still see a beautiful tower and a few remaining sections of wall.