Villeneuve – Aosta Valley | Splendid Gateway to Gran Paradiso National Park
Francesco Mari
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Villeneuve, a charming town located at 640.0 meters above sea level on the slopes of? the Graian Alps along the river course of the Dora Baltea, in a natural Eden at the entrance to the Val di Rhêmes and Val Valsavarenche between the municipalities of Arvier and Saint-Pierre in a strategic geographical position to enter into endless excursions as a splendid gateway to the beautiful Gran Paradiso National Park.
Villeneuve is a well-known resort adored by cross-country skiers and trekking enthusiasts, famous for an event that is celebrated every August called "Fiha di barme", with winemakers who open their cellars obtained from a wall formed by landslides with tastings of local wines and also for the production of the famous Mocetta also called Motzetta,? appetizing beef jerky highly appreciated by gourmets with very fine palates.
To start discovering the beauties of Villeneuve I suggest starting with the famous Colin Tower located at the entrance of the town on the State Road 26 in La Crête, a massive medieval fortification with a quadrangular plan erected in? the thirteenth century by? the Gontard family, local feudal lords who in 1267 sold it to Count Amedeo V of Savoy.
Since then it has been used as ?a toll station for merchants who passed on the Dora bridge and also famous because itis portrayed in well-known watercolors executed by the painter William Turner.
This building defined as a stronghold that like other buildings of this type was born as a residence and with defensive purposes, and still shows sturdy well-preserved walls surrounded by battlements still intact under the ground while the fa?ade shows the holes of what was once the dovecote.
Continuation with the beautiful Church of Santa Maria also dedicated to San Rocco, the oldest religious buildingin the region.
Built in the eleventh century in Romanesque style and located in the local cemetery. This building is to be considered an authentic architectural masterpiece of medieval art.
Its construction probably dates back to the second quarter of the eleventh century and was historically mentioned in a papal bull of 1184 and included in the archive of the Collegiate Church of Sant'Orso in Aosta with the title of ecclesia which binds itself to its past as a parish.
Built on a quadrangular plan with three naves and as many apses, it boasts a beautiful bell tower dating back to the twelfth century with single, double and triple lancet windows.
When you have reached the center of Villeneuve, you will find yourself in front of the beautiful Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta , dated 1782 and which has become the Mother Parish of the community.
In a pleasant walk then a pleasant walk in the picturesque village characterized by suggestive cobblestone alleys and charming alleys flanked by characteristic stone houses admiring in Via Cerlogne there is a magnificent house of the 16th century .
?On the top of a magnificent promontory you can seethe silhouette of the remains of the Chatel-Argent Castle, a section of the original medieval wall of 90.0 x 70.0 meters and in which a cylindrical crenellated tower 16.0 meters high stands out.
Next to the fortress was built the Church of Santa Colomba dating back to the eleventh century, erected in Romanesque-castle style with walls and adorned with hanging arches and terracotta pilasters.
Villeneuve is a very famous place for being a producer of Mocetta, an elite cured meat? from the Aosta Valley and the Western Alps produced by native cattle that feed on green fodder from the local pastures throughout the summer and hay stored in balconies the rest of the year although there are variations of production using meat from other animals.
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This delicacy was already known a few centuries ago when it was stored for a long time in pantries to overcome periods of food scarcity. Mocetta, a high mountain sausage, has a P.A.T. certified mark, a significant denomination of Traditional Agri-Food Production that identifies its original origin and is prepared with cuts of muscle and lean thigh in some cases also using rump and hip tip of beef artfully flavored with garlic, rosemary, bay leaf, sage and mountain herbs.
All with doses in percentages that faithfully respect the ancient traditions by adding salt, pepper and the piece covered with the oily liquid coming from the meat itself. In the elaboration, the size is massaged for 20 days, ensuring that the herbs and spices used penetrate deeply into the fleshy tissue, perfuming it entirely.
The fresh cured meat, after this process, tends to be very tender, with a pinkish heart that changes characteristics with rest, and which will increase considerably in intensityof flavor, becoming more intense and pungent, as well as acquiring a much darker color gradation if aged.
Subsequently, the product in the preparation phase is hung for seasoning in cool environments with meticulously controlled temperatures and humidity, drying can last between 1 and 3 months depending on the size of the piece.
A Mocetta seasoned by making a cut is compact and lean, with a reddish hue without streaks, with an intense aroma of beef and aromatic mountain herbs causing immediate sensations of appetite.
For culinary use, mocetta is excellent if served in mixed appetizers, on toast with a spread of butter or a spoonful of olive oil, perfect with a hint of honey, combined in snacks with black rye bread, excellent if seasoned with a splash of walnut oil.
In case you are interested in learning more about this product, there are specialized cured meat factories – butchers and they will introduce you to the history and secrets of this authentic Valle d'Aosta delight.
Time for your lunch, staying in the traditional, local cuisine I suggest a unique, classic dishe of the region with a choice between Fondue Valdotainne with croutons and slices of Dzambon or Polenta and beef meat.
Visiting Villeneuve is a very pleasant tourist experience, the Aosta Valley offers unique landscapes with its wonderful valleys and alpine peaks, a great historical heritage and excellent gastronomy, a perfect destination to be taken into great consideration.
Where to Stay | Recommeded Accomodation
Coin de la Ville
La dzenta meizón