1.607 meters
Le Frachey Lo Fratchéi
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
Spread along the left orographic side of the Evançon stream, Le Frachey (Lo Fratchéi in patois) is a small village of historic buildings, now partially restored, that still preserve traces of 19th-century devotional frescoes.
It includes two hamlets, Lo Fratchéi-Damón and Lo Fratchéi-Dézeut (“Above” and “Below”), and belongs, together with Saint-Jacques-des-Allemands and the other villages, to the area known as La Borna or La Bora.
It had a mill and an oven and possessed a mixed school which, lacking sufficient income, often forced children to attend the one in nearby Saint-Jacques.
The Chapel of Saint Roch was commissioned in 1653 by the will of J.-Claude Frachey (1620–1667), the first missionary from the Aosta Valley. Originally dedicated to Saint Claude and later to Saint Roch, the French saint protector against the plague, which also struck the Val d’Ayas heavily in 1630, it was restored in 1837 by the local inhabitants under the initiative of the parish priest of Ayas, François Victor Amé Dandrès (1791–1866).
In 1930, Le Frachey was chosen as the ideal location for one of the first historic hotels in the upper Val d’Ayas, the Monte Cervino or “Lo Servìn,” as it is still called. The building, constructed at that time entirely of stone, lime, sand, and wood, served as a summer holiday destination for mountaineers eager for adventure among the perpetual snows, as well as for noble families who stayed there for entire months, preceded by rows of trunks. Nearly a century has passed since then, and the hotel, renovated several times, still preserves the austere stone silhouette that has always characterized it.
The village, still today a popular departure and arrival point for renowned high-altitude excursions, offers, from its ancient fountain, the excellent fresh water of the Valley.
A short distance from here begins the modern funicular to Alpe Ciarcerio (Alpage de Charcérioz or, in patois, Tcharchério), inaugurated in 2010 and open to summer and winter tourism.
On some beams, the construction date and religious symbols are still preserved, such as the trigram IHS (Jesus, Iesus Hominum Salvator). A devotional fresco depicting the Holy Trinity (a widespread theme in Ayas due to the presence of the confraternity of the same name) was painted on the valley-facing façade of a large building dating back to 1732, now completely restored.
Following the paved lane, you reach the ancient communal oven, now back in operation and lit on special occasions.
Map of Le Frachey
The sabots and the sabotier
The sabot, known as tsôque in the Ayas patois, is a wooden shoe carved from a single block, emblematic of an ancient artisanal craft that has profoundly shaped the cultural identity of this Aosta Valley region. Its origin, traceable to very remote epochs, intertwines with European traditions spread from the Jura to the Pyrenees, and as far as northern France, where its primary function was to protect against cold, dampness, and mud. Unlike leather shoes reserved for rare occasions, the sabot was the everyday footwear of the local population, including children, with more refined models for women, characterized by a higher heel. The craft of the sabotier, the artisan specialized in their making, was passed down from father to son. After the All Saints’ Day holiday, when agricultural work ceased, workshops came alive with the processing of Swiss pine wood, primarily chosen for its durability and availability in local forests. The manufacturing process was complex and articulated, involving the use of specific tools such as the scure pioula (broad axe), the two-handled knife, and the succhiello travéla (auger), and was often carried out in pairs to optimize time and quality. In the nineteenth century, Ayas counted up to 250 sabotier, who exported the footwear also to Piedmont, especially to the rice fields of Vercelli and Novara, fostering a flourishing local artisanal economy of considerable importance. However, the advent of rubber footwear in the mid-twentieth century marked its decline. Today, production is reduced to a conservation effort, where manual skill remains irreplaceable, and the sabot represents more a cultural symbol and ornament than an object of daily necessity.
