Riserva Naturale Mont Mars

There are many myths and legends linked to the territory of the Aosta Valley. They have been cultivated over time, handed down from father to son, and have influenced people's culture for centuries.
Among these, many are linked to the Lys stream and, in particular, to the bridges that connect its banks.

The first time you arrive in Fontainemore by driving up the valley along the Regional Road, the old village appears to you as if enchanted, gathered into the narrow spaces of the county town, with the church perched on an edge and the charming stone bridge.
Once you have parked your car near the Reserve Visitor Centre, you stroll into the historic centre. Before crossing the road, you pass the chapel dedicated to San Rocco, built in 1636 and restored several times over the centuries. It was built in homage to the saint who dedicated his entire life to caring for plague victims from the survivors of the 1630 epidemic.
A short walk leads you to where the street comes narrower and the houses more centralised. Watching out for cars, a small pedestrian street on the left leads you to the parish church, by crossing the medieval bridge dating back to the 13th century.

The Aosta Valley is not only skiing, hiking and mountains: it is also a cultural paradise if you love wandering through history, art, and fairy tales. Castles, towers, fortifications, fortresses are scattered through the region, making it the most fortified place in Italy and Europe.
The closest to Fontainemore is the Savoy Castle, a fairytale castle and the summer residence of Queen Margherita, who was a great mountaineering and mountain enthusiast.

The signs of five centuries of Roman domination.
In 25 BC, after more than a hundred years of military initiatives, the Romans led by Aulus Terentius Varro defeated the Salassi, ancient inhabitants of the region of Celtic origin.
Five centuries of Roman domination in the Aosta Valley thus begun, and its echoes can be heard even today.

The Walser people have left an architectural imprint on the territory of the Lys Valley, that can be admired even today.
Driven by straitened circumstances and the scarsity of land for their livestock, entire communities of Germanic origin from the Upper Valais crossed the Alpine passes in the 13th century to creare small settlements around Monte Rosa.

The ecomuseums, scattered throughout the Alps, represent a link between different generations, a bridge to cross to better understand the close relationship between man and the environment that has shaped their lives for century.
At Fontainemore, in the locality of Pra Dou Sas, a small agro-pastoral village has been renovated and turned into a Ecomuseo di Media Montagna (Middle Mountain Ecomuseum). During your visit, surrounded by tools and everyday objects, you feel immersed in the rural life of the early 20th century, where there was no television or supermarkets.

If your stay in Fontainemore falls in the Carnival period, Pont-Saint-Martin - not so far from the village towards Aosta - offers a spectacle in which colours, costumes, music and fun are mixed.