Agritourism L'Etoile du Berger

Cogne Valley - Gran Paradiso National Park

Cogne Valley

Our agritourism lies in Lillaz, Cogne hamlet, at 1610 metres above sea level.

Lillaz is a characteristic small mountain village of Cogne Valley which here divides in two valleys: Valeille and Urtier.

Cogne valley is a real pearl of Alpi, placed inside the Gran Paradiso National Park, the oldest in Italy, born in 1922 thanks to the donation of Savoia king Vittorio Emanuele III. The king established an area, protected by the State, in order to preserve the national and international important ecosystems of the valleys around the Gran Paradiso massif. The Park offers a home for many rare variety of animals, plants and flowers. At the bottom of the valley we find larches, spruces, stone pines and firs and going higher there are alpine pastures and then rocks and glaciers. Main animals you can see are the ibex (the park symbol), the chamois, the marmot, the fox, the lynx, the ermine, the golden eagle and the bearded vulture.

Lillaz waterfalls

Lillaz waterfalls are the most attractive in Valle d’Aosta and can be easily reached in a ten minute walk. They consist of three falls covering a drop of 150 meters where the Urtier torrent flow. There is a wonderful view over Valleille and Sengie glaciers.

During the summer waterfalls are very powerful and they represent a wonderful destination for walks to enjoy the view.

During the winter, once iced over, they attract icefall climbers from all over the world.

Lillaz and the wonderful setting of Cogne valley offer tourists various activities for anyone and in every season.

Activities in summer

The Cogne valley is well-known for offering trails for everybody, from gentle walks, at the bottom of the valley, for families and beginners to trekking tracks on higher slopes for experienced hikers. Every track is surrounded by the extraordinary flora and fauna of the Gran Paradiso National Park.

We will be happy to help you in choosing the tracks that suits for you. Moreover, alpine guides organize tours to discover flora and fauna of the Park.There is also the opportunity to climb, to explore the valley on horseback and mountain bike, to fish in streams, to play tennis in the synthetic tennis courts of Cogne or to play minigolf for children.

Activities in winter

The Cogne valley is the queen of cross-country skiing because it offers 80 km of tracks giving the opportunity of a full immersion in a pristine landscape. Indeed, the valley is often the host of major sporting competitions like the World Cup and the “Marcia Gran Paradiso”.

There is also the opportunity to enjoy alpine skiing on a small friendly complex of five ski slopes with two chairlifts and a gondola that reaches 2,252 meters of altitude or to make ski touring among peaks and glaciers with pleasant breaks in V. Sella e Sogno di Berdzé refuges. In addition to ski, the Cogne valley offers other activities such as itineraries along snow trails, accessible by foot or with snow shoes to enjoy natural winter scenarios. Also in the winter the nature guides organize daytime and night trails with snow shoes.

Cultural activities

In Cogne you can enjoy the tradition of pillow-lace work (les dentelles de Cogne), orally transmitted from mother to daughter. Another window on Cogne traditions is the “Maison Gérard-Dayné” situated on the boundaries of the historical village of Cogne. It is a representative example of Cogne’s historical architecture and its aspects dated back at the beginning of the twentieth century when all the works were completed. The Maison is one of the rare examples in which we can find the internal courtyard that allows the communication among the different building. It was a kind of common space, with a lot different functions.Today the “Maison Gérard-Dayne” is itself a museum, but also hosts different kind of exhibitions of Aosta Valley’s traditions.

…and in the rest of Valle d’Aosta

  • Pont d’Ael Roman bridge: built in the 3 AD. by Roman colonies Aimus and Avilius, over the gorge of the Grand Eyvia river, the aqueduct bridge in Pondel stone, about 56 meters high and over 50 meters long, is one of the most interesting monuments of the Roman Period in the Aosta Valley, still perfectly preserved.
  • Valle d’Aosta castles and Bard Fort: Valle d’Aosta is well-known for its medieval castles, including Fénis Castle from 14th and 15th-century, Issogne manor-house, Verres Castle, Sarre Castle (the Italian royal family residence when visiting the valley) and Saint-Pierre Castle, which hosts the regional Museum of Natural Sciences. Bard Fort built up above the ancient medieval village and guarding entry to the Valle d’Aosta.
  • Roman city of Aosta: it was founded by the Romans in the 25 BC with the name Augusta Praetoria. There are many ruins and monuments in Aosta dating from Roman times: the Arch of Augustus, The Praetorian Gate, the theatre, the cryptoporticus and almost all of the defensive walls.