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Ayas

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Last Visit: 10/08/2024
municipalities
Europe
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Aosta Valley
Ayas Valley

Access

Ayas can be reached from the Aosta Valley regional road SR45, with Turin-Caselle airport about 120 km away. The nearest railway is the Châtillon-Saint-Vincent one, connected to Aosta and Piedmont.

Introduction

Ayas is the highest municipality in the Evançon Valley, nestled in a picturesque basin at the foot of Monte Rosa, in the heart of the Aosta Valley Alps. With its 1,464 metres of minimum altitude and the 4,226 metres of Punta Dufour, the highest peak of the massif, Ayas offers a spectacular landscape, where glaciers, forests and traditional villages alternate in a mosaic of rare beauty. The territory, with 35 scattered hamlets, borders Switzerland to the north, Valtournenche to the west, Brusson to the south and the Gressoney Valley to the east, forming one of the most fascinating natural amphitheatres in the region.
The history of Ayas dates back to pre-Roman times, with possible settlements by the Salassi, but it was in the Middle Ages that the village became important, linked to the Challant family and the lordship of Graines. Once a land of shepherds and peasants, today Ayas is a popular tourist destination, famous for the Monterosa Ski area and its Walser villages, evidence of an ancient alpine culture that has endured over time.

Description

The Ayas area stretches out between green pastures and imposing peaks, with a unique geographic conformation: the eastern slope, steep and wild, contrasts with the western slope, gentler and dotted with villages at almost 1,800 metres above sea level. Dominating the panorama is Monte Rosa, with its 'four-thousand-metre peaks' - including the Castor, Pollux and Breithorn - and the Verra and Ventina glaciers, whose waters feed the Evançon stream. The municipality is also home to numerous alpine lakes, such as the crystal-clear Blue Lake of Verra and the small lakes of the Cime Bianche, nestled between rocks and high-altitude meadows.
The origins of Ayas are intertwined with legends and archaeological evidence: Roman tombs at Antagnod and Lignod, place names of Latin and Germanic derivation, and traces of Walser settlements in the upper valley, where dialects with German influences are still spoken today. In the Middle Ages, the fiefdom was controlled by the monks of St Maurice and then by the Challants, who bequeathed towers, ancient dwellings and the Ru Cortaud, an ingenious medieval irrigation canal that can still be travelled today.
The local economy, once based on subsistence farming and livestock breeding, has found its new lease of life in tourism. Champoluc, the liveliest centre, is the heart of the ski resort, while Antagnod, the municipal seat, preserves rascards (typical Valdostan barns) and the Maison Fournier, a 16th century noble residence. Handicrafts survive in the production of sabots (wooden clogs) and drap, raw woollen fabrics, while gastronomy celebrates mountain flavours such as fontina cheese, seuppa valpellinentze and gnocchi alla valdostana.
Traditions are revived in the patronal festivals and fairs, while hiking attracts enthusiasts with itineraries such as the Tour of Monte Rosa and the ascent to Colle di Bettaforca. The Guide del Cervino and Grand Tournalin refuges offer panoramic stops, while the Walser villages of Saint-Jacques and Resy tell mountaineering stories, such as that of Abbé Gorret, a mythical figure in the Aosta Valley.


Information

Area:129.58 km²
Altitude:1,504m
Maximum elevation: 4,226m - Castore
Inhabitants:1379 as of 31 March 2025
Name in dialect: Ayas
Inhabitants name: Ayassins - Ayassin or Ayatsin, Ayassine or Ayatsine
Patron Saint: Saint-Martin de Tours (11 November)
Neighbouring municipalities: Brusson, Chamois, Châtillon, Gressoney-la-Trinité, Gressoney-Saint-Jean, La Magdeleine, Saint-Vincent, Valtournenche, Zermatt
Website: www.comune.ayas.ao.it

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