1.698 meters
Magnéaz Magnéa
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
One of the most fascinating, peaceful, and panoramic villages in the Val d’Ayas, Magnéaz (Magnéa in patois), whose name would seem to derive from the Latin Magnus to emphasize its former importance, has a very ancient history: documentary sources mention it as one of the first inhabited centers and the seat of the first parish church of Ayas. Even after the parish church was transferred to Antagnod, before 1176, it remained one of the most important centers in the valley.
Map of Magnéaz
Rue Capitaine Quey
Rue Capitaine Quey stands as a genuine treasure trove of history and architecture in the village of Magnéaz, bearing witness to the strategic importance of the Krämerthal route between the 14th and 17th centuries. This street, named after Captain Claude Quey, follows an ancient trade path that connected Châtillon to the Valais, crossing the Col de Joux and Montservin. The buildings here are not mere dwellings but testimonies to a functional coexistence between Franco-Provençal and Walser cultures: the imposing two-story stone houses, with the stable on the lower floor and the summer residence above, are crowned by rascard—typical structures of Germanic origin used as granaries or haylofts—symbols of a unique architectural and social fusion. Among the most significant edifices stand out the Majonaza, vertical and imposing, the Casa dell’Orologiaio, and the Casa dei Miscioline, culminating in the rascard of the Blanc and the Cazzette, true jewels of local history. The street concludes with the Oratory of Nôtre-Dame de la Guérison, a place of devotion and reflection. Beyond this point, the panorama opens onto Monte Zerbion and the broad basin of Ayas, while the road winds through woods and meadows, brushing past the ancient Strada della Traversa—further evidence of the commercial and cultural vitality that has animated this region for centuries.
Rascard of the Cazzette
In the heart of Ayas stands the Rascard dei Cazzette, a rare double rascard embodying the elegance and functionality of late medieval Valdostan architecture, dating back to the years 1442-1448, as confirmed by precise dendrochronological analyses. This building skillfully adapts to the terrain’s contour lines, featuring an intact right section and a partially modified left section, with the base still bearing the marks of the original construction techniques. The right rascard reveals a single-story masonry base housing a majón and a cellar: the majón preserves a hearth without a hood, where smoke escaped directly through the window, a testament to ancient dwelling solutions. Above, the raised floor is supported by four foundational beams—logs split in half with precise joints that exclude the use of the circular stones typical of later structures—revealing an ingenious system to prevent rodent intrusion. The central courtyard, the éra, is paved with boards arranged transversely, a unique detail compared to other rascards, designed to retain grains during harvest. On either side, the tchambèrai, or storage rooms, feature platforms made of spaced logs to promote ventilation, supported by a wooden structure that appears both robust and refined. The gable, with its vertical board and saddle-shaped shaped pieces, ensures stability and verticality, exemplifying the construction mastery of an era in which every detail responded to precise functional and aesthetic requirements.
Rascard of the Blanc
The Rascard dei Blanc represents a rare example of seventeenth-century Ayas rural architecture, connected to the Du Blanc Fournier family, historically prestigious and relocated to Australia during the great emigration of the 1890s. The building is distinguished by its two-storey masonry structure, where the ground floor housed a storage room featuring a barrel vault and, uniquely in the area, an internal stone staircase leading to the upper floor. Here unfolds the majón, the traditional kitchen, and a long balcony running along the entire façade, surmounted by the true rascard, constructed with squared logs resting on stone ‘funghi’—small pillars that elevate the structure in a manner both typical and functional. The most characteristic element is the large projecting tchambretta, supported by wooden brackets, with a second one accessible via an external stone staircase isolated from the building to prevent the ingress of rodents: a rare technical and hygienic device in the local tradition. The inscription on the architrave of the majón door, dated 1571, bears Walser symbols and the letters PP, testimony to the valley’s long history and culture. The presence of logs with unused joints suggests a relocation or transformation of the building, likely occurring in the early eighteenth century, when the original townhouse of a wealthy merchant was adapted for agricultural use, in response to the commercial decline caused by the Little Ice Age. This historical layering endows the Rascard dei Blanc with considerable architectural and cultural significance.
La Majonaza
La Majonaza represents an emblematic example of vertical residential architecture developed in the Aosta Valley in the 16th century, a model that combines functionality with rural tradition. This type of dwelling, constructed entirely of stone, is distinguished by its tripartite structure: on the ground floor, often partially underground, is the cellar, essential for the preservation of produce; on the upper floor opens the room with the hearth, the domestic heart where daily activities took place; finally, on the second floor is the living room, a more intimate and private space. A characteristic element is the wooden granary, cantilevered on the façade by means of brackets, which attests to the constructive ingenuity and the necessity to store the harvest in dry and protected environments. Vertical communication occurs via external stairs, a functional solution that allows the internal spaces to remain separate. The ridge beam bears the trigram IHS, a distinctive mark introduced after 1536 by decree of the Consiglio dei Tre Stati of the Aosta Valley, which establishes a post quem date for the construction of the roof. On the left side is visible a “vuidiou de l’eau,” an ancient water drainage from the sink, while the wall presents three rows of square holes, tangible traces of ancient building techniques: these are the marks of wooden poles and beams used as scaffolding for the erection of the wall, a direct testimony to a construction method that predates the use of modern metal scaffolding.
Casa Dondeynaz
The Casa Dondeynaz stands as an emblematic example of rural architecture in the Aosta Valley, originally conceived as a multifunctional dwelling. Its structure develops over several levels in stone, a material that ensures insulation and sturdiness. In the early twentieth century, the building underwent a significant transformation with the removal of the rascard, the typical elevated wooden structure used to store agricultural products protected from moisture and rodents. This modification gave the house a fully stone appearance, with a well-defined functional division: on the ground floor are the cellar and the stable, essential for agricultural life and livestock; the first floor houses the majón, the traditional kitchen, and the péyo, the living room, accessible via a stone staircase, a symbol of local craftsmanship mastery. Of particular note is the second floor, which contains a bathroom with a bathtub, probably the first in the entire municipality of Ayas, and a room reserved for the schoolteacher, a sign of social and cultural attention to education. The top floor is dedicated to the hayloft, with direct access from the mountain side, an element that testifies to the close integration between the dwelling and agricultural activity. The Casa Dondeynaz is thus a living witness to peasant life, with a spatial distribution that narrates a balance between practicality and comfort, typical of Alpine architecture of the period.
House of Martin Quey (then Casa Vescoz)
This imposing stone residence, dating back to the late 16th century, bears witness to a noble and administrative past. The date 1593, inscribed on one of the windows, attests to its year of construction, while its history is closely linked to Martin Quey, son of Captain Claude Quey, a prominent figure who in 1598 assumed the role of centenier and, in 1637, that of lieutenant of the Compagnia di Challant. The house, of exclusively civil nature, is distinguished by its valley-facing façade, adorned with a fresco dating from 1675, depicting the Virgin Mary between Saint John the Baptist and Saint Anne. Although the image is now almost lost, iconographic elements such as the Lamb at the feet of Saint John and the elevated position of the Virgin, framed by floral motifs and marked by a partially illegible inscription likely indicating the author of the work, remain recognizable. The large windows, originally decorated with stone frames, underwent modifications in the 1930s, when the frames were removed and sold to decorate villas in Antagnod; however, one of these, shaped like an inverted ship’s hull and engraved with the initials MQ, was recovered and placed on the mountain-facing façade. The stylistic differences between the cellar windows, which are straight with rounded edges, and those on the first floor, featuring shaped architraves, reveal the artisanal care and refined architectural details of the residence.
House of the Watchmaker
The Watchmaker’s House, erected in 1672 from sturdy local stone, is distinguished by an element that bears witness to its history and culture: a large clock face painted on the façade, the work of watchmaker Jean-Baptiste Alliod in 1864. This clock is not merely a timekeeper but a symbol of art and devotion, framed by two frescoes signed by the Valdostan painter Franz Curta, active in Val d’Ayas in the second half of the nineteenth century. On the left, the Assumed Virgin, dressed in red with a blue mantle, is carried by angels towards heaven, her hands crossed upon her chest in a gesture of sublime resignation. On the right, the Immaculate Conception—a still rare and modern image for the time, given that the dogma was proclaimed only in 1854 by Pius IX—descends triumphantly to Earth, resting her feet upon a globe and a crescent moon, holding a blooming lily, a symbol of purity. Above, a small wooden window opens onto a hole that replaces the original niche, which once housed a statue of the Madonna, now lost following its sale in the 1930s. Beside the niche, the French inscription remains, extolling the Madonna as mother of love, fear, knowledge, and holy hope, a testament to profound popular spirituality. This house, though marred in its decorations by past holidaymakers, remains a precious treasure trove of sacred art and local tradition.
House of Captain Claudio Quey also known as Casa Marquis
Built from the 16th century onwards upon a rock overlooking the valley, the Casa del Capitano Claudio Quey, also known as Casa Marquis, represents a rare example of fortified residential architecture from the Renaissance period in the Aosta Valley. The structure developed through multiple construction phases and attests to the elevated social status of its owner: the turret, with its characteristic Gothic windows, houses a viret, that is, a stone spiral staircase—an element reserved at the time for noble residences, as connections between floors were normally made from the outside. On the second floor, two wooden rooms, cantilevered using different techniques—one on corbels, the other on a column—served as granary and storage for provisions, indispensable in a mountainous context. On the facade facing the valley, a large fireplace likely also served signaling functions, suggesting a strategic role for the dwelling. Of great interest is the tabernacle set into the masonry along the road, decorated with sacred frescoes dating back to the Renaissance era. Here stands the scene of the Crucifixion, flanked by the Madonna of Oropa, the figure of the Holy Spirit, and saints highly venerated in the valley such as Saint Anne and Saint Margaret, whose local devotion is attested by numerous churches and chapels. The QJB mark engraved on the door of the viret refers to Jean-Baptiste Quey, a descendant of the captain, who lived in this house in the 18th century, thus sealing the historical continuity of this residence. Recent restorations have allowed the preservation and enhancement of this treasure trove of popular devotion and architectural testimony, which still proudly dominates the surrounding landscape today.
House of the Miscioline
The Casa dei Miscioline is an extraordinary example of 17th-century rural architecture, combining diverse functions within a single structure. On the ground floor lies the warehouse, distinguished by a sail vault supported by a central stone column, a space dedicated to the preparation of dough for the nearby oven. The first floor houses the living quarters, while the upper floors, including two small wooden rooms projecting on brackets, were intended as haylofts and granaries—essential storage facilities for managing agricultural supplies. The floors, almost entirely wooden, underscore the local construction tradition. The façade is notable for the date carved into the ridge beam: 1662, a clear reference to the period of construction or renovation. Here, two windows with shaped collars and false frames can be seen, typical elements of the mid-17th century, when openings became wider and squared with plaster, definitively abandoning Gothic forms. Between these windows, a deliberately covered image still preserves an inscription: MARIA CONCEPTA, with the monogram “M” enclosed in a circle, referring to the representation of the Virgin Mary according to the iconography of the Immaculate Conception. This motif is also shared with the Casa dell’Orologiaio, attesting to a widespread religious and artistic tradition in this region.
Chapel of the Visitation
The Chapel of the Visitation, an ancient testament to the fifteenth century, holds deep roots in the Ayas valley. Originally dedicated to Saint Peter, as evidenced by a document from 1440, it was built thanks to the support of the Challant feudal lords, whose coat of arms surmounts the keystone of the presbytery. The latter, together with the apse, represents the original core, while the nave, added between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, marks its expansion, clearly visible when observing the structure from the mountain side. The exterior offers two frescoes of great iconographic value: the Madonna nursing the Child, extraordinary for its antiquity and uniqueness in the territory of Ayas, and the figure of Saint Gratus, first bishop of Aosta, depicted with episcopal attributes and the legend of the head of the Baptist. The presence of these frescoes, framed by floral decorations, reflects popular devotion and the protection invoked for the muleteers heading to Montservin, symbolically represented also by the serene profile of the Towers of Jerusalem or the White Peaks. Particularly evocative is the large wooden Mission cross leaning against the bell tower, adorned with the Arma Christi, an iconography typical of German-speaking Switzerland, bearing witness to cultural and commercial ties with those lands. Inside, the main altar in gilded wood from the eighteenth century houses the Madonna with Child, flanked by Saint Paul and Saint Barbara, and above, a sixteenth-century Saint Peter, thus linking past and present in a spiritual and artistic continuum.
Oven
