LA THUILE PRESS RELEASE – SUMMER 2020 UPGRADING THE SELF ‘To me, walking means to enter the nature. That is why I walk slowly, I hardly ever run. To me, Nature is not a competition field. I go there to observe, to feel, with all my senses. And, thus, my soul enters the trees, the grass, the flowers. To me, high mountains are a true feeling’. REINHOLD MESSNER Once in La Thuile, the first thing that captures its visitors is nature and its immense purity, its wide spaces, its vivid contrasts when speaking of colours, its thick woods of conifers, the peaks of the Mont Blanc chain that stand out and the iconic Rutor massif that, together with its glacier, watches over the valley. La Thuile is one of those places where one can feel free, be hugged by the energy of the mountains, find some spare time and be enriched by strong emotions, but above all, regenerate both mind and soul. We are in Valdigne, in the North-western part of the Aosta Valley, at 1,441 m of altitude, a few kilometres away from the motorway exit, very close to the big cities of the North of Italy, France, and Switzerland thank to the Mont Blanc tunnel, but far enough to forget everyday frenzy, in a context where tourist development is becoming more and more sustainable and responsible. Photo: Luca Fontana HIDDEN WILDERNESS RING ‘This wild magnificence was simply there, hidden, waiting to be discover by Aiming to the Little Saint Bernard pass, first you reach the Lago Verney, the widest somebody ready to truly listen’. This is how Luca Fontana - photographer, opinion natural lake of the Aosta Valley that lies at 2,088 m above the sea level, or continue to maker and influencer – defines the territory of di La Thuile after having gone through the archaeological area at the border between Italy and France. Being an ancient 60 km and 3,500 m of positive drop during a self-sufficiency trekking. He documented glacial area, the surroundings of the Lago Verney own a rich variety of flowers. The the ecstasy and magic of the places he visited in the photo exhibition ‘The Hidden shores house sedges, cottongrasses and sphagnums, whereas a bit more far away there Wilderness Ring’, which can be admired in the centre of the town for free. are rushes, catchweeds, buttercups, together with sassifrages and primulas. Opposite, there are two ‘classic’ routes for families: the one that from the Colle San In La Thuile there are many trekking routes, some of them are more beaten and some Carlo leads to Belvedere d’Arpy in fifteen minutes only, a panoramic point over the others are almost unknown, but they are all immerged in a pure and silent Mont Blanc, or the one that leads to the lago di Arpy. environment, where the mountains are deliberately very little anthropomorphized. They are powerful, and their energy becomes lymph to detoxify from the rhythms imposed by everyday life and, thus, to recuperate physical and mental wellbeing. By having a look to La Thuile’s path map, you will be spoilt for choice. On the one side, Youlaz, Orgères, Chavannes and Breuil valleys: they are green, wild, precious from a geologic point of view and full of historical evidences, but the most important thing is that when you reach their tops, you will have a privileged view over the Mont Blanc. On the other side, the paths that lead to the Rutor area with its waterfalls, the Bellacomba lakes, the lago Verde and the lago Grigio and the Deffeyes mountain hut, the departure point for rather demanding hikes to the Rutor glacier, the sixth Italian glacier when speaking about its extension. Lago Bellacomba Lago di Arpy They are part of the history of the town, they are shrouded in mystery and legend, they are originated by small lakes fed by Rutor glacier. They are the wonderful waterfalls which can be visited in summer and which are composed by three rushing jumps of water which finish in ravines and precipices and carve the rocks with the whole power of melt water. THE POWER Starting from the hamlet of La Joux, at 1,603 m above the OF WATER sea level and 3 km away from the town centre, you can RUTOR WATERFALLS reach the third waterfall (1,996 m) by following a nice path. The first panoramic point lies at about twenty minutes from the houses of La Joux, along the mule track that goes through pinewoods. The first waterfall is surprising: the emotion of a rainbow is waiting for you, as well as the power of water that offers incredible sensations. Rutor waterfalls A bucolic plateau close to stream is the perfect spot to stop SUSTAINABLE FISHING for a while, refresh and take some pictures, before You can fish in the lakes continuing climbing towards the second waterfall, at 1,850 and streams of the area m, and the third one, where a 16-metre long and 1,20- Equipped and expert climbers can try the hike to the Rutor only after having metre large steel bridge, inaugurated in 2014, crosses the glacier, better if accompanied by an Alpine guide. With its purchased the licences fall and offers a superb point of view over the three water 8.4 square km, it is the third Valdôtain glacier after the sold at the Tourist jumps. Miage and the Lys, and the sixth in Italy. A vast ice cap Office. From here you can come back on the other side of the starts from the Testa del Rutor (3,486 m) and descend until You can also practice ‘no mountain or keep on hiking to the Deffeyes mountain hut 2,500 m. kill fishing’ by using the (2,494 metres) right at the foot of the Rutor glacier. It is a THE VASTNESS fly-fishing technique and rather demanding but wonderful hike, a bit hard for kids. The hike lasts at least two days, from La Joux to the with barbless hooks. Another option is taking right after the waterfalls and OF THE GLACIER Deffeyes mountain hut first (overnight stay possible) and follow directions towards the Bellacomba glacial lakes. then the Testa del Rutor can be reached on the following day. LA THUILE – LITTLE SAINT BERNARD PASS ARCHAEOLOGICAL AREA – CROMLECH In a wild context, at 2,188 m, right over the Lago Verney and at the border between Italy and France there is a magic place. It is an archaeological area with a Cromlech, a circle made of 46 stones with a diameter of ENERGY 72 metres. In the centre of it there was a dolmen, and in the ancient times it was considered a rather important POINTS worship place. Many legends are linked to the Cromlech, which is often wrongly called ‘Circle of Hannibal’ since it is commonly attributed to the Punic leader who, the legend says, crossed the pass. It was certainly used as an open-air temple and an astronomic observatory: this hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that in the circle there is a bigger stone, which was probably used to sign the direction of the sun in the day of the summer solstice. On 21st June, in fact, the Cromlech offers an exciting astronomic show, since the sun sets behind Lancebranlette (the mountain that surmounts the Cromlech), creates a semi-circular shadow for about half a minute and closes in upon the megalithic structure: only Roman mansio the sacred area is lit. This site, which is still examined, probably dates back to the Pre-Celtic epoch (3000 BC). But the importance of the area as a transit route is also proved by the ruins of a small Gallic temple and of two ‘Mansiones’ of the Roman age, which guaranteed refreshment and overnight stay both to the travellers and the animals that already crossed the pass during the I century BC to reach the Gauls. This area is so magic also thanks to the Columna Jovis, which is 4 metres high, on which top we can today see a statue of Saint Bernard of Menthon, archbishop of Aosta. It is said that once, over the top of the column, there was a red stone, the so-called ‘Escarboucle’ or Jupiter’s eye, a proof of the ancient cult of god Penn, which was rather common in the area. The legend says that that stone, which was perfectly visible from the You can book a distance, feared the inhabitants of the valley, who were guided visit to the already converted to Christianity and thought that it was archaeological area the red eye of the devil, and they asked Saint Bernard to at the Consorzio fight and win the devil and to destroy the stone. Operatori Turistici La Thuile. A nature The magnificence of the landscape, the vastness and the guide will power of nature, which is so alive, the silence that accompany you. shrouds the mountains, the history and many legends make this place so charming and evocative, and the www.lathuile.it keeper of a particular kind of energy that has to be lived +39 01 65 88 30 49 in total freedom, according to your passions and curiosity. Menhir of the Cromlech, Little Saint Bernard pass Since the most ancient times the Little Saint Bernard pass has been a transit route: that is why all those who visit the area perceive the strong value of welcoming. The Hospice, founded in the XI century by Saint Bernard of Montjou, kept its hospital role until World War II.