NIGEL'S RAMBLES: September 2016

We decided to pass our summer holidays in this splendid little Italian Region again this year. We always see new and surprising things even though it is our forth visit.

Passo Piccolo San Bernardo, AO

Val Veny

Val Ferret

The highlight this year was a visit to the recently opened Megalithic area of Saint-Martin-de-Corléans with its new museum that encloses the site. Here in the archaeological area you can see a piece of a field ploughed in about 4000BC with and a bronze age dolmen.

The museum has some splendid carved standing stones and an example of bronze age brain surgery.
Here is the museum site.

Megalithic area of Saint-Martin-de-Corléans,AO

Megalithic area of Saint-Martin-de-Corléans,AO. Bronze age Brian surgery.
2 of the patients lived after the operation.
Magic mushrooms served as anaesthetic.

Megalithic area of Saint-Martin-de-Corléans,AO

To confuse things there are two St Bernard passes; the Grand San Bernardo between Italy and Switzerland and the Piccolo San Bernardo between Italy and France. The landscape is quite different at each of the passes.

Passo Piccolo San Bernardo, AO

Passo Grande San Bernardo,AO

Finally this year they have opened the passage that lets you pass the Roman aqueduct on the inside along a glass pavement.

The Roman aqueduct-bridge of Pont d'Ael,AO

I also took the footpath from the bridge that was once used to transfer cattle between the high summer mountain pastures and the lower winter pastures. Here I had a surprise where the footpath finds a large waterfall blocking the way. Here a primitive tunnel passes behind the waterfall.

Pondel,AO

Sarriod de la Torre is one of the minor castles in the valley and I had overlooked it up until our visit this year. Here I came across a couple of nice surprises. Some nice 12th century frescoes with a twin tailed mermaid ( I have seen this symbol before in Tuscany) and a strange grasshopper with a human face. There is a splendid timber ceiling that dates from 1453 in the main hall with another twin tailed mermaid, local animals, gargoyles, a guy licking his backside and in one corner two chaps engaged in sodomy.

Saint Pierre,AO

Sarriod de la Torre,AO

Managed to get in a short two hour walk in the Rhèmes Valley in the Gran Paradiso National Park.
These places take on a whole new dimension once one gets away from the car park.

Val Rhemes, AO

Gabry was fascinated with the Brenva Glacier in Val Veny after doing an Internet search and finding out about its recent history. This glacier is impressive for the aftermath of a huge rock fall when a piece of mountain collapsed in 1997 and 3 million cubic meters of rock slid across the glacier and down into the valley below. Much of the debris is still there and reading that the buildings along the road high above the valley were damaged gives the idea of the disaster.

Brenva Glacier, Val Veny,AO

In the Cogne valley there is a nice little botanic garden with mountain plants. Probably not the best time of year to see it but it was interesting.

Giardino Botanico Paradiso, Cogne, AO

Cogne, AO

Cogne was also an important mining area until quite recently. There is a little mining museum at the miners village. The mines were much higher up the mountain and communication was made possible by cable car.

Villagio dei Minatori, Cogne, AO

We visited the splendid Val Ferret with its views of the Monte Bianco group. We also discovered Planaval a small valley right of the beaten track reached by some rather torturous roads and possible traffic congestions with cows.

Val Ferret AO

Planaval AO

We finally decided to see Monte Rosa. This was a disappointment as the mountain group is not very visible unless one is willing to take a long hike. We also got rather ripped off in a Restaurante in Gressoney St Jean which did not add to the enjoyment of this valley. I Had a short walk up the valley away from civilization, but I would have needed much longer to be able to see the Monte Rosa group properly.