Valle di Gressoney

The Monumental Trees Tour in Gressoney

a journey through time

By: Gressoney Monterosa

In the Valdostan territory there are numerous centuries-old plants each of which is a precious witness to the past, they arouse fascination and reverence and being able to admire them in the midst of their natural environment is an experience that nourishes body and soul.

Regional laws, but primarily the tenacity and resilience of some species and certainly a bit of luck have meant that these wonders can be found scattered in multiple places within our region and add value and prestige to our landscapes.

So far, 125 individual trees grouping 56 species/varieties and 6 forest formations within which we find a total of 285 specimens have been classified as monumental.

All of these plants possess special and noteworthy characteristics, the famous "Tiglio di Sant'Orso" in Aosta is an example, but also "lime elm" in loc.Prà di Perloz or the "Frassino di Pont-Sec" in Gressoney-Saint-Jean and always in Gressoney "L'Acero montano" and "Il Sorbo degli uccellatori dei due Alpenzu.

The Tour We Propose will let you discover these wonders of nature, particularly those found in the Gressoney communes.

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The Pont-Sec Ash Tree and the adjacent forest formation

Going up the Valley after the hamlet of Pont Trentaz In the hamlet of Pont-Sec, immediately after the ecocenter, we find in addition to a splendid Ash tree located inside an enclosure, a protected forest in the extreme vicinity that is home to 8 Red Spruce, 5 Alrici and 2 Larch trees, all over 100 years old.

The Beeches and Pines of Villa Margherita

Inside the beautiful park of Villa Margherita in the center of the municipality of Gressoney-Saint-Jean, in addition to admiring the splendid Villa, once the residence of Queen Margherita, we can find 3 species of Trees of particular interest including 5 Stone Pines, 2 Red Beeches and 1 Pendulous Beech

The Maple of Chréffó

The Chréffò maple is a plant also found near the town of Gressoney-Saint-Jean, it can be conveniently admired from the parking lot near Obre Platz is located in a meadow beyond the Lys stream in line with the bus stop shelter.

The Larch and Maple Trees of Alpenzu

Heading toward the Walser Village of Alpenzu you can make two splendid encounters, about a third of the way along Trail 6 we encounter a small group of six Larch trees, and once you get to the village you cannot fail to notice the majestic Maple tree towering over the meadow to the north.

The Small Alpenzu Sorbo

In the Village of Little Alpenzu, which is encountered by continuing northward from Big Alpenzu on the W trail or by ascending from near Chaschtal locality on the 7/7A trail and continuing northward once we meet the W marker, we will be confronted by a magnificent rowan tree that guards the village.

The Sorb of Gressoney-La-Trinité

The Splendido Sorbo in Gressoney-La-Trinité is located near the town center, very close to the playground and within a garden below a group of typical Walser houses.