Pollein
Pollein is situated at 551 metres above sea level on the orographic right of the Dora river, a few kilometres away from Aosta, in a flat area that gradually reaches considerable heights among coniferous woods, up to the summit of Mont Emilius (3559 m). In the lowest part of its territory, there is the industrial area of Aosta, the Aosta Valley’s traffic centre and heliport and some big commercial complex at the Aosta East motorway exit.
Already known in Roman times, Pollein in the Middle Ages, after belonging to the Lords of Quart, was a dependency of the bishops of Aosta.
WHAT TO SEE
●The parish church of San Giorgio, rebuilt at the end of the 1600’s and still remodelled afterwards, has a beautiful Romanesque-Gothic bell tower.
● The Botanical and rock gardens, near the Grand-Place green area, is a path with a series of rocks present in in Aosta Valley’s mountains, surrounded by shrubs and tall trees.
NATURE AND SPORT
On an area of about 10 hectares there is the equipped area 'Grand-Place' with large meadows used for the practice of traditional sports (rebatta, fiolet, tsan, palet), a sports field and a ring for jogging. The area can be reached from Aosta by car, but also on foot or by bicycle, through the cycling trail that continues towards Fénis, following the Dora river.
EVENTS AND TRADITIONS
● Bataille des Reines: every two years, at the ‘Grand place’ green area, a bloodless battle between cows takes place, in order to determine the hierarchy within the herd and to elect the ‘queen’ of the group.
FOR THE LITTLE ONES
Children can immerse themselves in the tradition of rural life and spend one day surrounded by nature at the La Reina educational farm, where they can visit the farm and its animals, watch the milk processing, and visit the orchard and the vegetable garden.
At the Grand-Place equipped area there is a fun playground for children.
The path along the Rock Garden is accessible by stroll.
IDENTIKIT
● Inhabitants: 1540
● Altitude: 551 m
● How to get there by public transport: Pollein can be reached from Aosta by bus line 1 “Aosta-Pollein-Brissogne”. Timetables are available on the website of the SVAP company.
Note - this information is not directly connected to the Cammino Balteo path but it is part of the Aosta Valley tourist offer.