Necropolis of Vollein, from Les Faverges

Access

Leave the motorway at the Nus exit; head in the direction of the SS26 into which you turn left in the direction of Aosta. At a crossroads, near the town hall, turn right and follow the signs for Saint-Barthélemy. Just before the town centre, turn left up via Saint-Barthélemy. When you reach via Corrado Gex, turn left and follow it as far as the bridge over the Saint-Barthélemy stream: cross the bridge and reach Mazod where you can leave your car.

Introduction

In the footsteps of history! The short itinerary proposed here leads to one of the oldest prehistoric sites in the Aosta Valley: the Neolithic necropolis of Vollein.

Description

0h00' Briefly follow the little communal road until you cross the bridge over the Torrent de Saint-Barthélemy where, a little further on, you will come across the signpost indicating the start of the path .

0h05' Take the mule track that climbs, with a few hairpin bends, the steep orographic right-hand side of the Saint-Barthélemy valley. After enjoying a few glimpses of the castle of Nus, perched on the opposite slope, you will reach a fork in the road.

0h15' Neglect the flat path that branches off to the left and continue on the mule track that climbs the forest, which is mainly of downy oaks and willows. The path is wide and evident and soon leads to the edge of the valley. As the forest thins out, the silhouettes of the peaks of the Grand Pays and the more distant Becca di Fontaney and Mont Morion appear on the horizon. The path loses a little slope and meets a path on the left, which should be disregarded. After a short slope, the trail starts climbing again until it reaches the first houses of the village of Vollein (901m, 💧). When you reach the village, follow some sparse yellow arrows that allow you to untangle yourself in the narrow lanes of the hamlet until you reach the access road to it. A short detour to the right takes you to the chapel of Vollein. 
0h55' Retrace your steps for a short distance and continue on the access road to the village for about 300m. At a signpost, turn left down a path bordered by wooden railings to reach a deep gravitational slope deformation, an interesting geological site. 
Turn left, passing through a narrow at the foot of a rock face on which there are a number of climbing routes, and reach a small clearing: turn right onto a track that soon leads to the high ground composed of scanty terrain and some interesting mounded rocks: here are the remains of the Aeneolithic necropolis, of which a beautiful cist tomb can be appreciated (911m, 1h15').The return journey follows the same route as the outward journey (0h35').