Municipalities

Three villages built of stone and wood, with a history stretching back a thousand years along the Via Francigena: Étroubles, Saint-Oyen, and Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses.

Three villages along the mountain pass road

Driving up State Road 27 toward the Great St. Bernard Pass, you pass through three villages: Étroubles (1,270 m), Saint-Oyen (1,373 m), and Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses (1,632 m).

These are not tourist attractions built to impress, but ancient resting places that sprang up along the Via Francigena. For over two thousand years, people have been climbing here, stopping along the way, and tackling the mountain.

What you’ll find in the valley:

Stone, wood, and silence: authentic Alpine rural architecture, preserved without artificial embellishments.
Border Identities: Communities that live in the mountains in both winter and summer, amid pastures, dairies, and mountain passes.
Living Traditions: From the Jambon de Bosses PDO to the Historic Carnival of Coumba Freida.

People have been passing through here for centuries. Now it’s your turn. Stop.

Discover the towns you can visit

Étroubles

At an altitude of 1,270 meters along the Via Francigena: Étroubles is one of Italy’s most beautiful medieval villages and an open-air museum. Here, the tradition of the veillà is still kept alive.

Saint-Oyen

At 1,373 m above sea level along the Via Francigena: Saint-Oyen is a historic waystation village, nestled among pastures, pine forests, and Alpine cuisine, home of Jambon alla Brace.

Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses

At 1,632 meters, the last village before the pass: the story of the Marronniers and the Soldats de la neige, the medieval Castle, the Jambon de Bosses DOP, and skiing at Crévacol.