• "Fête des Bergers" at Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo

    Traditional celebrations

"Fête des Bergers" at Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo

Resorts: La Thuile

Sunday 06 August 2023

This festival takes place at Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo, a place which once witnessed the meeting of Valle d’Aosta and Savoy shepherds for a livestock exchange and market.

The day starts with a Mass and continues with a small market of typical products on the Italian side of the pass: handcrafted objects and food and wine delights dot the meadows around the Cromlech and pavilions set up for the occasion offer the opportunity to have lunch with local dishes.

The afternoon is entirely dedicated to the “Bataille de Reines”, valid for the regional championships and for assignment of the “Regina del Piccolo San Bernardo” title.

  • convivial meeting of ancient tradition between the shepherds of the Aosta Valley and Savoyard mountain pastures
  • take advantage of the event to enjoy the views of the Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo and to discover its history
  • visit the Chanousia alpine botanical garden
  • make a stop at nearby Lake Verney
09:00  18:00

Free

  • 9am - Weighing of the cows
  • From 9am to 6pm - Typical local market
  • 11am - Outdoor Mass with the La Thuile choir and folk groups
  • 12.30pm - Beginning of the Bataille de Reines

See also

Tunnels / Mountain passes
Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo - La Thuile

Little St. Bernard Pass

La Thuile

On the meadows on the right, just beyond the buildings of the former Italian Customs, you can see the earliest testimonies of Roman presence on the Alpis Graia, as they called this hill. These are the remains of the oriental mansio, unearthed and …

Note - this information is not directly connected to the Cammino Balteo path but it is part of the Aosta Valley tourist offer.