Charvensod

Introduction

This municipality covers about 26 square kilometres from the southern outskirts of the city of Aosta and, keeping to the orographic right of the Dora Baltea, boasts about 3,000 metres of difference in altitude between its extreme heights. In fact, part of the territory occupies the alluvial plain where the villages of Pont Suaz and Plan Félinaz stand; the main town is located at an altitude of about 750 metres, on a splendid balcony south of Aosta; while ascending the steep mountainous area, one can touch the peaks of Becca di Nona and Emilius (3559 m), with the splendid pastures of the Comboé and Arbolle valleys all around.

Description

The history of the municipality, apart from the usual traces of pre-Roman settlements and Latin colonisation, is often intertwined with that of its famous bridge: the one that since the 14th century (at least) has connected the two orographic sides of the Dora at the gates of Aosta. It is here, in fact, that the so-called pons suavis was rebuilt for greater safety in the event of flooding of the river. The armies of the French invaders and, on several occasions, the fury of the water raged against this construction. Its umpteenth reconstruction in 1860, this time in stone, allowed contemporaries to exploit its structures to create the present version. It is evident how the ancient name of the bridge determined the toponym of the nearest village: Pont Suaz.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning that on the mountain above the main town and the city of Aosta is the sanctuary known as the 'Ermitage de Saint-Grat' (Hermitage of St. Grato), which is the destination of a suggestive and ancient procession on the night of 6 September, on the eve of the feast of the patron saint of the Aosta Valley.

Information

Area:25.86 sq km
 Altitude: 749m
Maximum elevation:
Number of inhabitants: 2527
Name in dialect:
Inhabitants' name:
Patron Saint:
Internet site:
Webcam:
Border towns: Aosta, Brissogne, Cogne, Gressan, Pollein
 Villages and hamlets: Félinaz, Plan-Félinaz, Pont-Suaz, Ampaillan, Péroulaz, La Giradaz, Roulaz, Saint-Pantaléon