The Aosta Valley is a region that is waiting to be discovered. Knowing it slowly, is even more interesting, through the numerous bicycle routes along the cities, the campaigns, or following the bike routes that cross the mountains, which are suitable for mountain bike experts.
The region offers to cyclists a network of over 1,000 kilometers of dirt bike paths that cross forest paths and mule tracks and farm roads.
If you are a green lover, and you like the physical activity but you’re not a expert biker, you can find fun follow simple cycling routes to ride by city bike. There are bike paths like that of Morgex La Salle, that’s easy and its length is just little more than two kilometers.
Otherwise there are cycling routes more or less difficult, to discover the charm and the landscapes of this rich region, such as the Col de Joux tour, suitable for anyone who has a minimum amount of training, because it is a fairly demanding.
Along the bike paths in the valley, between vineyards and castles, there are paths to the discovery of the many castles embedded between villages and mountains, as in the Bard town you will find the Bard Fort, an imposing fortress of the 19th century that houses, as well as some temporary exhibitions, the Museum of the Alps, a fascinating itinerary that illustrates the birth and evolution of the Alps, and allows the visitor to discover it and live it through our 5 senses.
The fortress consists of three buildings on different levels: the Opera Ferdinando, the Opera Vittorio and at the top the Opera Carlo Alberto. The Opera Vittorio hosts the Alps of the Boys, an interactive route toward the mountaineering in which young people can experience the thrill of a virtual climb the Bianco Mountain. On the other hand, in the last building, there are the Prisons, small cells where prisoners were locked up.
The Aosta Valley paths are also very beautiful, which lead to high altitude. For example the famous Piccolo San Bernardo Pass and the Rutor glacier, where you can alternate mountain biking and cross-country skiing on glaciers. In summer, for lovers of thrill, there are ski resorts that fit the ski lifts for transporting bicycles to reach exciting downhill and freeride paths, such as those of Pila basin, where there is also a Acrobatic Zone.
On the other hand, other itineraries allow you to discover the gastronomic culture of Aosta Valley, made of typical products such as mountain pastures cheese, where the Fontina cheese excels, polenta, and, yet, soups and excellent doc wines. For example, if we analyze the “Tour des caves: the discovery of the Aosta Valley enogastronomy”, we discover that’s a km 30 simple bike path, that leads us to discover the vineyards and wine cellars that reach Villneuve, where between dirt roads, panoramic views, a stop to visit the characteristic Sarriod-de-la-Tour castle, you can have short enogastronomic breaks tasting excellent local wines. On the other hand, you can walk by foot on the itinerary of the “sassi valdostani”, on the slopes to the north of Aosta.Places of the mountain pastures where excellent cheeses and local food are produced. In typical locals you can taste “tomini, tanning polenta, chamois in the psalms, malga chesees, sausages, bacon, accompanied by black bread and steaming polenta, taste in typical places.
During the journey you will meeti also craft products shops, for example at Pain de Coucou you can buy various typical products such as Fontina cheese, lard of Amard, wildflower honey, grappa, wines of Morgex and rye bread.
AT Homene S. te Marguerite you can buy goat’s cheeses in small dairy of Les Ecureils.
The itinerary cannot be completed without a lunch at La Clusaz Gignod guest-house, ancient construction where you can enjoy delicious specialties of the mountain as “zuppa alla valtellinese”, the lard with chestnuts and wholemeal bread and the “fonduta valdostana”.
Ways to discover this region are many and are not only cycling. In fact, there are many cultural itineraries that you lead between the secrets of nature, among the churches and castles, and between magnificences of his contemporary art. In the Aosta Valley, for example, there is the only roman villa well conserved, where are still visible the remains of mosaics and the thermal plant.
Around an atrium sprang up the various environments of the villa: the “Tablinum”, that had the function of reception hall, the “Triclinium”, where they ate their meals and the “Culina”, thas was the kitchen. Another cultural itinerary is what crosses the Francigena Street, one of the most important streets for Italy in the medieval era, joining the transalpine regions and Rome. It is crossed by pilgrims from different countries.
Select the Aosta Valley itineraries which you prefer between cycling routes and bicycle routes for road bike, and freeride and downhill paths. Come and discover them in the saddle of your bike.
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