Nearby

Built in the XIIIth Century by Boniface of Cly on a rocky promontory, in order to strategically control the areas below, this manor is a typical example of a primitive castle, as we can deduce from the central square tower and the surrounding walls, that enclosed other smaller buildings.

Its history consists of splendor, abandonment and recovery.

This ancient house, in the village of Marseiller (Verrayes), is a complex of different buildings, constructed in the thirties and forties of the 15th century by Jean Saluard, chatelain of Cly, notary to the Bishop of Aosta and thus an influential figure in the region. A set of wall paintings can be admired inside the casa forte [manor house] of the Saluard family, as well as in the chapel of Saint-Michel, located inside the complex.

The promontory of Saint-Evance is one of the best panoramic points of the region, accessible even to less trained hikers. This is possible thanks to a convenient mule track located at a half-hour distance from Torgnon. Walking along this path in a beautiful sunny day is a delightful experience; the road, mainly plain, from the hamlet of Maisonnettes rises gently up to a larch wood, near the small chapel of St. Pantaleon, on the dividing line between the great valley and the valley of the torrent Marmore.

Between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries, many irrigation canals were built by Aosta Valley's inhabitants to bring water from the torrents of the lateral valleys to the arid lands of the central valley. These canals were called rus in local dialect. Visitors will be surprised by the ingenuity of their designers and the courage of their executors! It is thanks to these works of medieval cleverness that local farmers could greatly increase the cultivable area on such a difficult terrain.

The Nature Reserve of Lozon, created in 1993, covers an area of four hectares in the commune of Verrayes. The purpose of the reserve is to protect the wetland of Lake Lozon (also known as the Lagoon of Lozon) where during the centuries many rare species have grown spontaneously. In the center of the lake one can observe a vast accumulation of peat, something unique in alpine territories. The Lozon has been nominated "site of Community interest" and represents one of the few examples of a glacial origin lake in Aosta Valley.

The oldest arboretum in the Valley of Aosta, this garden was created in 1905 by Canon Vescoz, illustrious person of letters, scholar and geologist born in Verrayes. This is the first experiment of reforestation with exotic species carried out in Aosta Valley. More than ten thousand non-native plants have been installed on a surface that exceeds twelve hectares.