Do you usually plan your trips on your own? Have you ever felt lost trying to navigate through numerous options, choosing from the typical Italian attractions crowded with people and long lines? Those who love to travel, like you, surely suffer from experiencing a mundane and artificial journey.
How do you feel when you join guided tours where you’re just a passive spectator? As the guide talks, it feels like listening to a recorder, and you don’t feel involved at all. After a few minutes, your mind starts wandering elsewhere. You look around and feel like a stranger in the place you’re visiting. You don’t have the opportunity to linger as you’d like on the things that interest you the most, and there’s no time to immerse yourself in the location truly.
Do you like the idea of personally experiencing the skills of local artisans and farmers, and visiting typical production facilities? It’s a shame it’s always so challenging to find reliable information and be certain that you’ll find people willing to take the time to welcome you and show you their activities. And in the end, you always ask yourself the same question: will it be a truly authentic experience? What if your journey could be extraordinary?
Imagine strolling through a castle with a small group of like-minded individuals, accompanied by a guide who has all the time to answer your questions. Discovering hidden and exclusive corners of unknown places, small and fascinating artisanal and farming realities that you might otherwise miss. Immersing yourself deeply in the magic of the journey and enjoying moments of silence to fully appreciate what you’re experiencing.
Imagine participating in experiential tours and workshops, personally experimenting with the techniques used to create artisanal crafts. Picture what it would be like to explore an archaeological site and listen to the authentic stories of its history. Challenge your senses in a curious and surprising game to taste unique products born out of loving care and daily hard work.
Imagine meeting the people who live in the Valtournanche territory, from passionate entrepreneurs to environmental and tourist guides who lead you with passion and enthusiasm to fall in love with their places. Talk to them as if they were friends, discover their secrets, and get to know the essence of this magical place and its various facets.
A journey through time, a journey for those who love the charm of distant stories that still echo in the tales and knowledge of our people.
A week to immerse yourself, step by step, in an itinerary rich in beauty and unexpected encounters with the inhabitants of the wonderful Valtournenche.
By retracing ancient trails, trodden by the first inhabitants of these places, you will experience sensations, scents, and flavours, and acquire ancient skills, becoming a guardian and spokesperson for the traditions of this land.
For this journey, you are free to choose the departure date.
Send us your request, indicating the period in which you want to take your trip, and we will confirm the available accommodation facilities and the personalized quote*.
(*) See our basic proposal and the special promotion we have reserved for you immediately.
Guided tour of Issogne Castle
Embark on a captivating journey with a knowledgeable guide to explore the enchanting Issogne Castle—a repository of medieval tales and treasures. Delve into the rich history of the Aosta Valley during the Middle Ages as you immerse yourself in the captivating frescoes that adorn the castle walls. These artworks not only celebrate the legacy of ancient noble families but also vividly narrate the lives experienced within the splendid cycle of artisan workshops, credited to the painter Colin. This immersive experience promises to unveil new dimensions of the history woven into the fabric of these hallowed grounds.
“Middle Ages by Brush” workshop
Discover that the medieval era was anything but monochromatic; instead, it unfolded as a dynamic canvas adorned with a multitude of vibrant colors. Gain insights into the palette of hues and pigments that brought forth magnificent frescoes and reproductions. Channel your inner medieval artist as you engage in learning the intricate techniques that form the foundation of fresco art. Take the opportunity to express your creativity by trying your hand at crafting your own painting, bringing the spirit of the Middle Ages to life in a burst of color and imagination.
Overnight stay in a 3/4 * hotel or similar accommodation
Experiential visit to the archaeological site of Saint Vincent
A true immersion in the Roman world through a sensory experience guided by the scent of spices and ointments that characterized Roman culinary preparations and spa environments. Together with an expert guide and an archaeologist, discover the archaeological site of Saint Vincent, an ancient mansion where you can identify with the ancient exhausted travellers who found refreshment here for body and spirit.
An Afternoon Immersed in the World of Bees and Honey
Imagine spending an afternoon discovering the fascinating world of bees and beekeeping: activities with a thousand-year history that unites contemporary man with the first inhabitants of these territories. Step by step you become more and more involved and learn about the charm that lies behind this world. After the beekeeper has told you about the techniques and times of honey production, take part in a tasting where you can test your palate by recognizing the different types of honey. Finally, with a short cooking course, you have the opportunity to learn new recipes that see honey as the protagonist and share them in an evening of conviviality
Overnight stay in a 3/4 * hotel or similar accommodation
Nature excursion with a visit to the Ecomuseum, Le Petit Monde of Torgnon and the Gilliarey Sanctuary
Under the majestic gaze of the Matterhorn, together with your guide, you set off on an excursion with approximately 500m of altitude difference. It passes through the narrow, fresh valley which widens in the upper part and includes pastures and mountain pastures still in use today. Sparse woods give way to the alpine prairie, full of infinite multicoloured flowers.
You reach the ancient hamlet which houses the Petit Monde ecomuseum and the Gilliarey Sanctuary (2170 m), overlooking the main valley perpendicularly, dominated by the pyramid of His Majesty the Matterhorn (4478 m). The view is extraordinary and the beauty of the place seems to contaminate every cell of the body. Only in this way, between anecdotes and traditions, do you have the opportunity to relive the stories of the inhabitants of these valleys and learn the tenacity of living in the mountains.
Duration: full day with packed lunch
Difference in altitude: 550 m
Total time: approx. 5.00
Difficulty: Moderate
Useful information: layered clothing; boots, sunglasses
Overnight stay in a 3/4 * hotel or similar accommodation
Day-off
Overnight stay in a 3/4 * hotel or similar accommodation
Visit the Maison de l’Alpage of Valtournenche and the old social bakery of Valmartin
Heart of Alpine mountain culture, the Maison de l’Alpage tells the story of the evolution of mountain pasture life. In a continuous dialogue between past and present, learn about the characteristics of these sites, their inhabitants and the dairy activities connected to them. After a short walk through the larch forest which allows you to admire the suggestive Rascard d’Entrèves, home to the museum, from another angle you reach the panoramic hamlet of Valmartin. Here you have the opportunity to enter the premises of the dairy and the social oven where you can retrace the ancient local traditions and the life stories that have crossed paths in these places.
Visit and Tasting of Dairy Products at a Local Farm
After experiencing the places of dairy tradition, let’s enter in the beating heart of cheese production. Discover the rhythms of dairy production, get to know the animals and milking techniques and observe the processing phases. Get involved in a tasting where you learn to recognize the flavours and smells of fresh milk and the cheeses produced.
Overnight stay in a 3/4 * hotel or similar accommodation
Nature excursion: stone gardens – Protohistoric settlement Mont Tantané
Get to know the challenges of Mont Tantané and make the memory of what is a special route more aware and lasting. Together with a naturalist guide and an expert archaeologist, walk along a circular path that links important naturalistic aspects, including the extraordinary blooms of mountain orchids and rock glaciers, wide panoramas and archaic emergencies linked to an ancient settlement at high altitude.
Upon your return, experience a journey to discover the ancient traditions of the hamlet of La Magdeleine, one of the smallest municipalities in the region, counting only approximately 50 actual residents. See with your own eyes the result of the depopulation of the mountain, which, having abandoned subsistence agricultural practices, has not found the resources to become a popular tourist resort, despite an enviable geographical position and significant naturalistic and archaeological beauties, such as a proto-historic settlement located on a panoramic hill.
Duration: full day with packed lunch
Difference in altitude: 600 m
Total time: approx. 5.30
Difficulty: Moderate
Useful information: layered clothing, boots, sunglasses
Overnight stay in a 3/4 * hotel or similar accommodation
Return transfer to the airport
The itinerary of the trip may be subject to small variations due to force majeure, weather conditions, or organizational adjustments.
Upon confirmation of the trip – upon reaching the minimum number of participants – any relevant changes and/or updates will be communicated.
1 special welcome aperitif
1 entrance to the Saint-Vincent or Champoluc thermal baths
1 jar of honey
7 nights in 3/4 star hotels or similar with sweet and savoury breakfast
1 Gourmet dinner
2 packed lunches
2 guided cultural visits (2 hours each)
2 experiential visits to agricultural companies with tasting (2 hours each)
2 experiential workshops (3 hours each)
2 naturalistic excursions (full day)
1 entrance to the thermal baths
Arrival and departure flights from Italy
Internal transfers, which will be quoted at the time of booking.
Possible recommended activities during free time
Wine and alcoholic beverages during lunches and dinners
Other meals not indicated in the program
Personal expenses (e.g., bar service, porterage, laundry, tips, etc.)
“All Risks” travel insurance (to be requested as an extra at the time of booking)
Tourist tax – mandatory to be paid on-site
All additional costs due to unforeseen circumstances not attributable to our organization (e.g., flight cancellations, fare increases, strikes, or other events and natural disasters, emergency evacuations, etc.);
Everything not specifically included in the clause “The package includes”
The booking must be made at least 15 days before the trip departure date.
Payment is to be made via bank transfer in the following manner:
20% Down payment upon booking confirmation
80% Final payment due 30 days prior
Difficulty: Intermediate (easy-to-moderate trails with moderate slopes), requires decent physical fitness. The average elevation gain during treks is between 300-600 meters. Estimated schedule and duration of excursions (approximate): departure at 9:00 AM, return at 5:00 PM, uphill hiking time 2/3 hours. Slow pace.
Required: sportswear, hiking boots, shorts and T-shirt, sweaters, windbreaker jacket, sunglasses, hat, backpack, water bottle, sunscreen, camera.
For technical reasons, the order of excursions or visits may change. Please note that if weather conditions do not allow one or more excursions, alternatives will be proposed.
Roberto Giunta
A nature guide since 1991, he has turned his passion for the mountains and nature in general into his full-time profession.
He believes that the role of a guide is to open doors to the beauty and variety of the natural world, which too often appears only as a magnificent backdrop, but can, if desired, “contaminate” those who approach it with genuine and profound emotions.
Felicity Roulet
Come and discover this pearl of the Alps together with those who love it and live it every day. In every season the Aosta Valley will give you emotions between culture, nature and food and wine… This little reality will amaze you…
by Openmind Travel Srl
Sede legale
Via Esperanto 2 – 11100 Aosta
Sede operativa
Via Bassi 60 – 35131 Padova
Ph. +39.0498256495
welcome@openmindtravel.it
P.IVA 05236340286
PEC:pec@pec.openmindtravel.it
Kamelion by Openmind Travel partecipa a:
Progetto finanziato con il POC
Regione del Veneto
Kamelion è un progetto
Openmind Travel Srl
Sede legale
Via Esperanto 2 – 11100 Aosta
Sede operativa
Via Bassi 60 – 35131 Padova
Ph. +39.0498256495
welcome@openmindtravel.it
P.IVA 05236340286
PEC:pec@pec.openmindtravel.it
Kamelion by Openmind Travel
partecipa a:
Progetto finanziato con il POC
Regione del Veneto
