1.723 meters
Bisous Bedzoù
Les Fusines Li Fejeune – 1.700 m
Blanchard Biantchart – 1.724 m
Rovinal Rovénal – 1.709 m
Praz-Sec Pra-Sec – 1.700 m
Les Péyoz Li Péyo – 1.725 m
Les Droles Li Drole – 1.757 m
Bernosin Bernozìn – 1.750 m
The village of Bisous (Bedzoù in the local dialect) is situated on the western side of the valley—the sunniest side—where, near what is now Piazza Fournier, the “merchants’ route” once passed, one of the trade routes along which, from the Middle Ages onward, merchants traveled for centuries—on foot and by mule—from the Po Valley to Switzerland, aided by the relatively mild climate of the time and the few tolls imposed on goods compared to crossing other passes and routes (such as the Great St. Bernard Pass and the Via delle Gallie).
Documentary sources indicate that in 1341, the lords of Challant—Giovanni, Pietro, Bonifacio, and Giacometto—granted the inhabitants of Bisous the area of Alpe Vachochy (Vascochaz), consisting of a vast pasture that stretches from the Ru Cortot to the mountain peaks. Perched on the promontory of Vascochaz stands the chapel, built by the Sarteur priests (uncle and nephew) around 1850, which was originally dedicated to Notre-Dame des Anges and was privately owned. After the municipality purchased the Vascochaz mountain pasture in 2002 and following restoration work in 2006, the chapel is now dedicated to Notre-Dame des Montagnards and is open to the public.
The parish priest of Ayas, François Victor Amé Dandrès, who ministered throughout the valley and was always attentive to the needs of the villages, had the old Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows renovated and opened a co-ed school in 1835.
The oldest rascards are located in the center of Bisous (the Sarteur area), often flanked by small stone houses built close together.
Map of Bisous
Rascard
This rascard, dating back to 1721 as evidenced by the ridge beam engraved with the IHS trigram and the initials of the commissioner Jean-Baptiste Burgay, represents an emblematic example of rural architecture in the Aosta Valley from the 17th and 18th centuries. The structure, now housing the Albergo Frantze, integrates agricultural and residential functions in a refined balance: the upper part, made of larch wood, distinctive and suspended, is designed to ensure perfect ventilation of the harvest, protected from rodent intrusion by eighteen small mushroom-shaped pillars. A unique feature is the presence of two superimposed levels of threshing yards, surrounded by four square storage rooms, the tchambèrai, and balconies mostly enclosed by boards, giving the whole a rare functional complexity. The lower section, solidly built in stone, houses stables and cellars on the ground floor, while the upper floor contains living quarters, including two kitchens and heated rooms for living and resting. The building, adapted for two families in 1801, reflects the importance of wood in local construction, requiring over two hundred larch trees for its realization, a testament to the forest wealth of Ayas. Not far away stands the oven from 1782, with a triangular opening and a roof covered in lose, an element that completes the picture of a rural tradition deeply connected to the territory and its resources.
Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows
The Chapel of the Madonna delle Nevi represents a precious example of religious architecture linked to popular devotion in the Aosta Valley. Originally erected in 1630, it was profoundly renovated in 1830 at the behest of the parish priest François Victor Amé Dandrès, who recognized the importance of preserving its spiritual and artistic memory. The façade, painted in the mid-19th century, is adorned with three emblematic figures: the Virgin Mary, to whom the chapel is dedicated as protector, flanked by Saint Martin of Tours, renowned for his charity, and Saint John the Baptist, a key figure in Christianity. Inside, the chapel houses significant works dating back to the 17th century, such as the wooden statue of Saint Anthony, which testifies to the popular devotion towards this thaumaturgic saint, and a poignant Pietà, symbolizing compassion and maternal sorrow. The altar, added in 1848, completes the sacred ensemble, with a structure reflecting the style and sensibilities of the post-revolutionary era, when the recovery of religious traditions intertwined with the desire to reaffirm local identity. The chapel, therefore, is not only a place of worship but a true treasure chest of art and faith that narrates centuries of history and spirituality of the Aosta Valley.
