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Saint-Marcel

Description

The town's name honors the patron saint of the town: San Marcello. It is a town located a few kilometers from the regional capital, on the right bank of the Dora Baltea. It stands out on a flat area along the river bed of Baltea, where the lands and gardens alternate with houses, and features a higher part of town called "collina" (hill), characterized by terraces. Near Saint Marcel there is the small lake Layet and the natural oasis of Vallone, rich of animals, plants and flowers of various species. Mount Corquet, easily accessible from different sides, offers the opportunity to perform either a quiet walk through the woods or alpine climbing. Departure point for fantastic excursions to Mount Saint Julien, the Coteau, the Punta Garzotto, the Becca di Salè, the Tersiva, Les Druges, where there is a well equipped picnic area at almost 1600 meters above sea level and from where it is possible to admire the highest peaks of the Val d'Aosta. The area of Les Iles, with its lakes, is home to several species of migratory birds. There are many old mills scattered across the country: in Seissogne there is a still working one that dates back to 1630.
The discovery of rock carvings in Seissogne and in Rean and a fortified settlement of the protohistoric ages in Tsampic testify the human presence in the area since ancient times. In Praborna there are mines of manganese, and in Chuc Servette of copper and iron, probably already exploited at the time of Salassi, the ancient inhabitants of the Val d'Aosta in pre-Roman times, a union of the tribes of the Celts mixed with the local natives, that settled in these lands between the VIII and V centuries B.C. from central Europe. Official documents show that the Romans arrived in the area in the first century, after defeating Salassi and once having settled in the territory, they started to extract copper from the mine of the Valley for their purposes. A document of the V century evidences the existence of the mine of manganese. The extraction of minerals was stopped in 1957. The history of Saint Marcel is related to the family of Challant, the first Lord was Ebalo the Great, Viscount of Aosta, Lord of Challant, Graines, Saint Marcel e d'Ussel, Adorno, Fenis and Chenal of Montjovet. The fate of Saint Marcel in the following centuries is the same shared with all the other town's of the Val d'Aosta.

No to miss:
The Castle, commissioned during the XVI century and built to control of the territory, a transformation of the existing Casaforte of James of Challant. It is located in the village of Surpian.
The Oratory of St. Anselm in the village of Moulin, along the mule track to Plout.
The Oratory of St. Hilary along the same mule trail to Plout, from where it is possible to admire a spectacular view of Saint Marcel and neighboring towns.
The Sanctuary of Plout. Built in the XVI century between the villages of Denchasaz and Plout and features a small cave in which was placed a statue of the Madonna. In 1640 a bricklayer built a chapel as a sign of devotion and deposed a statue of Madame des Ermites. In 1715 the building was enlarged and in 1853 a larger chapel was created, with the shape of a Greek cross.

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