Avérole, a stone’s throw from Italy

You’ll find the important valley of Averole just outside Bessans, on the right on the road to Bonneval sur Arc. This Piedmont road between France and Italy is dotted with hamlets, now uninhabited, and peaks exceeding 3,500 metres that make this valley a key feature of Bessans and Haute Maurienne.

Avérole

a lush green valley

at the foot of the glaciers

Avérole, a typical valley

In the last century, this valley was still frequented by peddlers, dealers and herds because the Arnès and Lauraret passes offered an alternative to the Mont-Cenis road and made it possible to avoid paying the toll to reach Susa in Italy!

Built in the early Middle Ages, the hamlet of Avérole, deemed one of the most appealing places in Haute Maurienne Vanoise, stands 2,037 metres above sea level in this characteristically lush green valley, along with other hamlets steeped in history and authenticity.

You can reach the valley by taking a shuttle bus from the village of Bessans, then continue on foot, for example to the Avérole refuge, to contemplate nature in all her beauty.

Authentic hamlets

The hamlets of the Avérole valley deserve your attention. Their traditional stone chalets with slate-stone roofs are typical of these high valleys.

Discover the history-steeped hamlets of Les Vincendières, La Goulaz and Le Villaron and their chapels that testify to the religious fervour of the mountain people.

This fabulous natural decor is the “life-sized” film studio that provided the backdrop to “Belle & Sebastian”!

Belle Et Sébastien, L'aventure Continue 01 Eric Travers © 2014 Radar Films EpithÈte Films Gaumont

You can reach the valley by taking a shuttle bus from the village of Bessans, then continue on foot, for example to the Avérole refuge, to contemplate nature in all her beauty.