Lillianes

Lillianes is the first town you come across when heading back up the Gressoney Valley. It sits at an altitude of 655 metres. From the Middle Ages to the late 18th century, the history of Lillianes was linked to that of the Vallaise Lords. The district features the charming stone bridge built in 1733, the only one with four arches in the Aosta Valley, which leads to the beautiful parish church dedicated to Saint Roch. The building dates back to the early 17th century, with an ancient bell tower dating back to the 15th century.

The Old Bridge and San Rocco Parish Church

Revers Bridge (Pont du Revers)
A very picturesque spot with its mini picnic area and the now abandoned gold mine…

Plan des Sorcières
This fascinating archaeological-astronomical site boasts an astronomical map believed to date back to 4500 BC: you will find several boulders of various sizes at the site, with cup-shaped wells carved into them. The largest of these (roughly 2 x 1.80 m) bears many cup-shaped wells, some of which are ringed, with diameters of approximately 5 to 12 cm.

Bec Foura
A stunningly scenic walk to a distinctive sharp peak with a huge hole in the middle

Truc Fountain
An admirable working example of hydraulic archaeology. The fountain consists of three large basins and an aqueduct carved into the stone.

Rouotta Game
(December)
This is a very ancient game unique to Lillianes. It takes place just once a year, the day after Christmas, even in harsh weather conditions, with icy, muddy or snow-covered ground. The game is played with bowling balls. The first person to play throws the ball at the cry of “cochon en avant”. By “cochon”, they mean the jack, or target ball. The first player calls out the name of the next player: “[Person’s name] apreu mé”. The person called out has to do the same as the first player and calls on the next player, and so on and so forth right up to the last player, who, throwing their bowling ball, shouts out: “ramassa”.

Historic Chestnut Festival
(end of October)
Lillianes is known as the town of chestnuts, as it is the leading producer of this nut in the Aosta Valley. And still to this day, the town counts on its different chestnut varieties to promote itself. The oldest chestnut festival in the Aosta Valley takes place every year here, in late October. The whole day is devoted to tasting this hardy autumn nut, with a chestnut-based lunch.

Festival of St. Bernard
(June)
Popular in as early as 1656, the festival was a time when farmers and breeders came together at the start of the summer to buy everything they needed before heading up to the Alpine pastures.

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Lillianes