• Stage 20

    Fénis - Châtillon

    Cammino Balteo

Fénis - Châtillon

Resorts: Chambave, Châtillon, Fénis, Verrayes

A good portion of this walk overlaps with the Via Francigena trail. It spreads over the south-facing slope, staying above the river and state road 26. Passing through the municipalities of Nus, Verrayes and Chambave, it leads to Châtillon, winding through vineyards, vegetable gardens and medieval splendours.

Technical Information

Difficulties
E - Excursionist
Recommended times
January - December
Departure
Fénis (527 m)
Arrival
Châtillon (586 m)
Difference in level
+ 368 m - 393 m
Length
14.291 m
Duration going there
4h05
Duration coming back
4h00

Route

From Fénis, head towards the neighbouring municipality of Nus, following the road to the hamlet of Plantayes. From here, continue towards the nearby villages of Perrinaz and Rovarey before entering the territory of Verrayes.

In the hamlet of Diémoz, the church dedicated to Saint Martin and Saint Lucy is one of the area's main religious and historical landmarks. The earliest documentary records of the parish date back to 1207.
After passing through the hamlet of Crétaz, an optional thirty-minute detour on foot (trail marker 1-3, which starts at the hairpin bend) leads to the ancient chapel of Marseiller.

The route then continues towards Chambave, a land renowned for its fine wines, including the famous Muscat.

Overlooked by the imposing towers of Cly Castle (located in the municipality of Saint-Denis), and following the course of the ancient Via Francigena, the itinerary crosses the historic village of Chambave before continuing through meadows and picturesque abandoned settlements to the hamlet of Breil in Châtillon. Here, visitors may wish to stop at Gamba Castle, home to the Regional Collections of Modern and Contemporary Art, surrounded by a magnificent park.

From here, the centre of Châtillon can be reached easily in just a few minutes.

Duration going there

4h05

Duration coming back

4h00

Length

14.291 m

Recommended times

January - December

Difficulties

E - Excursionist

Difference in level

+ 368 m - 393 m
GPS track
gpx , kml

See also

Castles and towers
Gamba castle

Gamba Castle

Châtillon

An aristocratic palace from the early twentieth century, surrounded by a 50,000 m² park, transformed into a museum where masterpieces of modern and contemporary art can be admired in its galleries. Buy your tickets on-lineThe castleBuilt at the beginning …

Botanical, geological and naturalistic gardens
park of the Gamba castle

Gamba Castle's Park

Châtillon

Located in the Cret de Breil hamlet, on a rocky hill 1 km west from the centre of the Châtillon village, the park surrounds the castle, commissioned by baron Carlo Maurizio Gamba in the first years of ‘900, which is nowadays seat of a modern and …

Museums
MAV and Fénis Castle

MAV - Aosta Valley Craft Museum

Fénis

The MAV is a museum devoted to traditional Valle d’Aosta craftsmanship.The traditional craftsmanship of Valle d’Aosta carries within it a wealth of symbols, knowledge, identity values and extraordinary creative processes of which the objects created are …

Churches and shrines
Chiesa di Diémoz - Verrayes

Parish Church of Diémoz

Verrayes

Located in the hamlet of Diémoz, in the municipality of Verrayes, the parish church is one of the area's main religious and historical landmarks. The earliest documentary evidence of the parish dates back to 1207, when a papal bull issued by Pope …

Churches and shrines
Chiesa di San Lorenzo - Chambave

Parish church of San Lorenzo

Chambave

At the beginning of the 12th century, the parish was dependant on the monastery of Fruttuaria, which transferred it in 1182, along with all the other assets held by the abbey in Valle d’Aosta, to the parish of St-Gilles di Verrès. This two-fold …