La Salle - Avise

From La Salle you descend slightly and then the terrain becomes almost flat when you come across the many distinctive villages that appear one after the other along the southern slope, winding between rock walls, fields and heroic vineyards. You then go from upper La Ruine to Villair di Morgex, until you get to the last hamlet on the border with the municipality of Pré-Saint-Didier: Dailley.

From here you start to go back, descending towards the old centre of Morgex, the real “capital of the Valdigne”, where you’ll discover the austere Tour de l’Archet, the castle that is today the headquarters of the foundation named after Natalino Sapegno, the famous literary critic, as well as Dante scholar with Valdostan roots, and the*lovely parish church of Santa Maria Assunta* that holds the oldest baptismal font of the Upper Valley, which dates back to the 5th century AD.

From here, you regain some height, staying on the other side of the slope, that is shaded and cool, and by following the route of the Dora Baltea river, you’ll get to the spectacular Lenteney waterfall which is worth stopping for a few photos. You then reach the lovely and surprising village of Derby with its beautiful Romanesque parish church dedicated to Sant’Orso, the strongholds and the so-called notarial palace.

Once you’ve left Derby - not without seeing the great, centuries-old chestnut tree - you’ll walk through the forests to get to the village of Runaz from above, from where you descend again to cross the national road SS26 and arrive at the hamlet of Avise, which announces its presence from afar with its castles and the lovely Church of San Brizio.