Landscape, history and nature in the Quart and Nus municipalities

Technical difficulty: medium
Physical difficulty: medium
Bike-friendly: 100%
Type of Route: mixed asphalt, dirt, path

Those arriving from the A5 Torino/Milano motorway should take the Nus exit while those arriving from Aosta should take the State Road no. 26 in the Torino (Turin) direction and follow the signs for Nus.

The route develops srarting from the town of Nus (570 metres above sea level) and passing by the Villair di Quart, arriving at the castle di Quart (759 meters above sea level). From here continue on to Vollein (1000 metres above sea level) before completing the route in Nus. This is the area of “adret” (sunny side) on the orographic left side of the Dora Baltea, characterized by a very dry climate as the sun is present all year round and its rays beat directly on the ground. The lack of rainfall and the wind force the plants in the area to protect themselves from dehydration by specific adaptation. The area features Scots pines, larches, downy oaks, black pines, douglas firs, atlas cedars, horse chestnuts, willows and oaks. A few species of plants were introduced in the 1950s since trees were chopped down in order to produce coal. You may see a few animals along the way, including foxes, squirrels, wild boars and roe deer.

The route departs from the Rosset di Nus farm (570 metres above sea level). Follow the state road for 6 km until the Villair di Quart crossroads. Turn right at the roundabout in the direction of the Quart castle (759 metres above sea level) of which the structure, located at the mouth of the steep valley excavated by the Quart stream, is visible from the bottom of the valley. You follow the dirt path that leads towards the Vollein necropolis which is around 8 km far away. Riding along the dirt track that, after around 600 metres leads you to the asphalt road; after a sharp bend you take the uphill path past the villages of Verney and Valzillianz. After around 1km this brings you to a crossroads where you continue to the left in the direction of Trois Villes. After 800 metres you pass through the village Argnod (800 metres above sea level) and reach the village of Vollein. Next, you have to direct yourself towards the valley, taking path no. 6 that leads to Nus. The descent begins and the road that starts off wide, soon becomes a rather technical path. You soon reach the bottom of the valley where you can admire the Nus castle from below. The path is very narrow, the ground is a technical stretch. On arriving in front of the Nus castle, you can’t not stop to admire this building dating back to the end of the thirteenth century.

The route is not yet over: after going uphill again on your bike, continue to the Nus district; after passing through the Mazod village you come to the district where you can admire the Pilato castle before returning to the start point.