Aosta Valley
Beautiful ride in Aosta valley along Dora Baltea river, which originates at Mont Blanc. As it crosses the Aosta Valley, the Dora Baltea flows through the city of Aosta and near all the main cities of the lower Aosta Valley: Châtillon, Saint-Vincent, Verrès and Pont-Saint-Martin. There are a numerous medieval castles and fortified houses in the Aosta Valley. At 8km mark you pass impressive Forte di Bard, located at the entrance to the Aosta Valley in a narrow gorge above the Dora Baltea river - originally built in 5th century Forte di Bard has been used for millennia to control the historic route between Italy and France. On May 14, 1800, a 40,000-strong French army was stopped by 400 Austro-Piedmontese soldiers at Fort Bard. They held the pass for two weeks, completely ruining Napoleon Bonaparte’s plan of making a surprise attack on the Po Valley and Turin. When he heard the news, Bonaparte himself gave the order that the fort should be razed to the ground. It was not until 1830 that Charles Albert of Savoy, fearing new attacks from the French, ordered that the fort be rebuilt.
Region: Valle d'Aosta
City: Verrès
Distance: 39.84 km
Elevation Gain: 438 m
Elevation Loss: 467 m
Difficulty: 315 (Easy)
FIETS Index: 1.28 FIETS
Avg Grade: 3.82 %
Max cat climb: 2
Min elevation: 263 m
Max elevation: 598 m
Ride Category: Rollers