Étroubles Open-Air Museum
The first open-air museum in the Aosta Valley: a permanent contemporary art exhibition winding through the stone-paved alleys of the medieval village.
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.
Topics
-
Historic Village
-
Via Francigena
The first village as you climb toward the pass
Head up toward the Great St Bernard Pass and you will find Étroubles at an altitude of 1,270 meters. Cobbled streets, stone and wood houses, pastures, and larch forests form the backdrop: a medieval village listed among the Borghi più belli d’Italia (Most Beautiful Villages of Italy).
The care taken with the historic center and the commitment to slow tourism have earned Étroubles prestigious awards: the Bandiera Arancione (Orange Flag) from the Italian Touring Club, the Comune Fiorito (Flowering Municipality) Quality of Life Environment Mark, and the title of Gioiello d’Italia (Jewel of Italy) awarded by ANCI / Ministry of Tourism.
Certifications that testify to a well-ordered community that respects its Alpine roots.
A strategic stop: from Restopolis to the Via Francigena
Known in Roman times as Restopolis, a winter camp for troops guarding the pass, Étroubles has been a mandatory stop along the Via Francigena for two thousand years.
Signs of history in the village:
- Vachéry Medieval Tower: dating back to the 12th century, built on Roman foundations
- Romanesque Bell Tower from the 1400s: the historical memory of the local parish
- Ancient Hospice from 1317: a historic refuge for pilgrims and travelers, active until the last century
- Open-air museum: since 2005, the streets of the center have hosted sculptures and permanent works by international artists
- Bertin Power Station and Cooperative Dairy: evidence of the 1904 hydroelectric avant-garde and farmer cooperation for the production of Fontina DOP cheese.
Étroubles preserves its history and mountain identity in every season. Stop and discover it.
Museums and Culture
Spazi espositivi e musei di Étroubles
La prima Latteria Turnaria del 1853 e la Centralina Idroelettrica Bertin del 1904: memoria contadina e pionierismo tecnologico nel borgo di Étroubles.
The village of Étroubles is the first you encounter as you climb toward the pass. Nestled in an amphitheater of majestic mountains at 1,270 meters above sea level, surrounded by woods and pastures, with its cobbled streets, flowered balconies, and architecture, it has rightfully been included among the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy.
transcription
Gallery
The Villages of the Great St Bernard
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.