MOUNTAIN PARTNERSHIP ALLIANCE OF UNITED NATIONS RECOGNIZES NATURAVALP AS AN EXCELLENT MODEL OF MOUNTAIN TOURISM

MOUNTAIN PARTNERSHIP ALLIANCE OF UNITED NATIONS RECOGNIZES NATURAVALP AS AN EXCELLENT MODEL OF MOUNTAIN TOURISM

DOWNLOAD THE MAP TO BETTER ORGANIZE YOUR HOLIDAYS IN VALPELLINE!

DOWNLOAD THE MAP TO BETTER ORGANIZE YOUR HOLIDAYS IN VALPELLINE!

GRANARIES, OVENS
AND MILLS

The tradition of bread-making is a ritual that Valpelline All Season wants to maintain and pass on through initiatives and events, and also thanks to the knowledge of the people who live this wealth on a daily basis. The ovens of the villages of Valpelline All Season are the symbol of the anthropization of places that were once perhaps inhospitable, but that man has been able to inhabit and with which he has created an indissoluble and unique bond. The ovens are also the symbol of the Alpine community, which finds one of its most genuine examples in Valpelline.


oyace

In the hamlet of le Voisinal you can visit a particular construction dating back to the 15th century. The isolated grenier, once used for storing products such as bread and flour, was also used as a shelter for agricultural tools and clothing; it is built with larch boards about 12 cm thick, wedged into the wood and held together with special pegs.
Two mills can still be seen in the hamlets of le Voisinal and Chez-les-Brédy, the last of which was completely renovated by the municipality in 2012.

 

Several ovens can still be found in the hamlets of Voisinal, Vernosse, la Condemine, le Bouyoz and la Crétaz. These ovens are still active and the ritual of baking has never stopped: it takes place twice a year and involves the whole community. It is an opportunity to be together as they work, the process is carried out following ancient techniques and strictly by hand and in accordance with hygiene standards: the dough is mixed by strong arms then divided into well-worked loaves which are carried on foot, from the "pastificio" to the oven, on wooden boards; the delicate operation of putting it in the oven and following the cooking process takes place without the use of thermometers, but only by watching the stones of the oven change colour.

A rite within a rite is what happens after the hard work: the feast, the precious moment when the loaves come out of the oven. This particular moment, which marked the end of hard work and the beginning of sharing, was marked by movements such as throwing the hot loaves from hand to hand, until they were placed on a wooden "ratelier". Once dry, the last act of the ritual took place on the 'copapàn', a traditional iron knife attached to the cutting board, which was used to cut up the loaves.


bionaz

In recent years, several small wood-burning ovens have been renovated in Bionaz. These can be found in the various villages and are used to bake black bread, a very old village tradition that has been handed down from father to son. These ovens are proof that tradition is a fundamental part of the Valpelline All Season tourist offer and that sharing these moments is not something that only the residents are interested in, but that the population wants to share with its guests.

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Valpelline All Season

  • Associazione culturale Valpelline allseason by Naturavalp

  • CF 91073910076

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Fondo europeo agricolo per lo sviluppo rurale: l’Europa investe nelle zone rurali - European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe invests in rural areas

Valpelline All Season has benefited from the support provided by the Rural Development Programme of the Aosta Valley 2014/2020.
SUB-MEASURE 16.3.PB1 - COOPERATION BETWEEN SMALL OPERATORS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING OF TOURISM
Managing Authority: Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Regional Rural Development Policy Structure