Discovering the Aosta Valley, a boarder country full of turreted castles on highly strategic points for the control and defense of the area, military fortresses that evolved in noble residences, rich in frescos and evidences of this ancient life. Aosta, former Augusta Praetoria, small capital immerse in the Alps, full of fascinating and suggestive Roman and medieval sites.

 

Friday, July 1

Bus departure from Milan. Visit to Fénis Castel, built on XII cent. and renewed and improved many times up today. It has an interesting architectural structure and beautiful fifteenth-century international gothic frescos in the courtyard.

 

Fenis Castle – CC BY-SA 3.0 | Bottel Jacques | 2008

 

Visit to Aosta: Roman ruins (Augustus’ arch, Porta Prætoria, the theatre and the criptoportico), the Cathedral (Romanesque structure subject to successive modifications that lays on the Roman Forum area where an ancient place of worship – IV cent. – was built); the Collegiata of Sant’Orso (patron saint of Aosta) with its huge bell tower and the suggestive Romanesque cloister rich of historiated capitals from XII cent. Visit to Royal Castel in Sarre: its structure has been built between XI and XII cent. while its actual layout comes from XVII cent. On 1869 it became the hunting lodge of Vittorio Emanuele II and the used as summer residence of the royal family. Original furniture from the Savoia family are still in place with a huge hall entirely covered by hunting trophies. Accommodation in 4* Hotel Le Charaban or similar hotel. Dinner and overnight included.

 

Aosta – CC BY-SA 3.0 | Idéfix~commonswiki | 2003

 

Saturday, July 2

Breakfast included, at the hotel. Visit to Bard: the fortress and the medieval village, recently renovate. The fortress, nowadays a museum and an exhibition space, was built in a strategic position, already used by the Romans: on the top of a hill that overlooks a bottleneck in the valley, so that it is easy to control the access to the valley.

 

Bard Fortress – CC BY-SA 3.0 | Rosario Lepore | 2010

Visit to Issogne Castle, built by the Challant noble family, which owned it for centuries. It still have the characteristic of an elegant and refined fifteenth-century noble house, rich in decorations and furniture. The courtyard is enriched by the famous fifteenth-century Fontana del Melograno (fountain of pomegranate). The tour will proceed to Donnas, whit its spectacular Roman street (Strada delle Gallie) that has been excavated in a rock wall and that runs along the Dora river. Last but not least the tour will go to Point-Saint-Martin, where the longer and most impressive Roman bridge – one arch only – in the world is still visible and intact (36 m long, 23 m high). Bus departure toward Milan.

 

FEE PER PERSON (accommodation in double room): € 320,00   

Additional fee for double room as single use: € 60,00

Insurance for cancellation AMIASSISTANCE – optional: € 20,00

 

FEE INCLUDES:

• private GT bus for the entire tour
• English speaking accompanying person for the entire tour
• accommodation in 4* hotel (Hotel 
• Le Charaban in Aosta or similar hotel), in double room with private bathroom
• half board accommodation (breakfast and dinner)
• entrance fees for the mentioned museums / monuments
• English speaking local tourist guides for the mentioned visits
• liability insurance, medical insurance and luggage insurance

 

BANK DETAILS

Name: LE 7 MERAVIGLIE DELLA ITALY INTERNATIONAL SRL

Bank: CARIGE ITALIA AG. 0387 Milano

IBAN: IT57N0343101607000000028520

SWIFT: CARIITGG

Reason for payment: “ICOM VALLE D’AOSTA + PARTICIPANTS’ NAME”

 

ORGANISER

LE 7 MERAVIGLIE 
Via Caccialepori 4- 20148 MILANO 
LIC. 057141/9.5.95
Tel. +39 02 48700422 
Fax. +39 02 40073176
mail: info@settemeraviglie.it