Visit of the medieval village of Montjovet

The medieval village of Montjovet lies in a strategic place. Being an unavoidable passage area, it was an ideal spot for the installation of control points and custom barriers. Located next to the Dora Baltea river and dominated by the imposing Castle of Saint-Germain, the village of Montjovet has always had an important role in controlling traffic.

For its numerous architectural and artistic details, it is one of the riches medieval villages in Aosta Valley; several residences are embellished by cross-windows, by windows in the shape of an overturned keel, by moulded window-posts and by frescoes. The houses are arranged like comb-teeth along the central straight road that leads to the chapel.

Among the numerous buildings, the visitor will sure notice one with an elegant portal dated 1585 which in 1881 became the hotel for the workers who worked for the construction of the Ivrea – Aosta railway line.

The medieval chapel, placed under the title of Santa Maria, performed the function of parish church until 1843. It is the oldest church in Montjovet, dating back to the 11th -12th century and is the richest in valuable historical-artistic elements. The building was subsequently remodeled several times; demolished and then rebuilt larger and rededicated in 1700 to Saint Rocco. The bell tower belongs to the previous church, with mullioned windows and a hexagonal spire.

At the beginning of the 14th century, a hospice was founded near to the church, but in 1614 it had fallen into disuse.

In 1771 King Carlo Emanuele III, in order to make it easier to reach holiday destinations for tourism and spas, had the “Mongiovetta” built upstream of the village, the road that is still used today to reach nearby Saint-Vincent: a plaque overlooking the first hairpin bends of the road commemorates the creation of this work.

Discover here all the guided tours in the mountain resorts of the Aosta Valley