Savoy Castle – trail 15

from Tschemonal/Chemonal to Savoia Castle

Trail 15 starts from Tschemenoal and arrives at Savoia Castle (1405m). It is 3324m long and the total positive elevation gain is 63m.
The approximate time for the climb is 0h56. The trail is rated T difficulty.

A trail within anyone’s reach, relaxing, with virtually horizontal development, it runs almost entirely in the shade of the forest on the left side of the valley (orographic right of the Lys).

Queen Margaret

The trail starts from the hamlet of Tschemenoal, (or Chemonal),2km from the center of Gressoney-Saint-Jean: a tiny cluster of old houses built around a small church from 1749 dedicated to Our Lady of Grace (the house next to the church is from 1567).

After reaching the center of Gressoney-Saint-Jean, the trail reaches the Savoia Castle (Wikipedia), one of the valley’s jewels in the crown: ancient in appearance, but actually built in the late 1800s (it was inaugurated in 1904), it was the summer residence of Queen Margaret of Savoia, who was in love with Gressoney (and by the town largely reciprocated). A few years after his death in 1926, his son Victor Emmanuel III sold the castle to Milanese industrialist Ettore Moretti: his heirs in the 1980s sold it back to the Valle D’Aosta region, which still owns it today.

The interior of the castle still retains much of its period furnishings, and can be visited year-round: here for prices and hours, tickets can be purchased online here. The park is freely accessible: inside, just in front of the castle, is a lush alpine botanical garden (Wikipedia) of about 1000sqm, opened in 1990, which is recommended to visit in July and August to take advantage of the peak flowering period.

More information on level of difficulty, ascent times, maps and GPX tracks

Photo Gallery

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One of the wonderful dwellings along Trail 15

The view of the Mont Rose along trail 15

Detail of the double staircase leading to the second floor

The queen's study with an exceptional view

The chandelier above the double staircase

The coffered ceiling, FERT is the motto of the House of Savoy

One of the windows overlooking the valley

Queen Margaret wearing the traditional costume of Gressoney and an alpenstock, pictured on the trails she often walked

The coat of arms of the House of Savoy on the enclosure walls of the park

1. Start and finish

Trail 15 starts from Tschemonal , the elevation is 1408m.
See on Google Maps.

Latitudine e longitudine (WGS84 - EPSG 4326): 45.793677267, 7.82149890954

The arrival location is Savoia Castle. The altitude is 1405m.
See on Google Maps.

Latitudine e longitudine (WGS84 - EPSG 4326): 45.7660525278, 7.8257074668

Tschemenoal

The parking lot

Set “Tschemenoal” as your destination on Google Maps or Waze. Tschemenoal (or Chemonal) is a hamlet of Gressoney-Saint-Jean, composed of a small church that skims the highway, surrounded by a nucleus of a few houses. At the base of the small church you can see the yellow marker identifying the start of Trail 15. Past the small church on the left (if coming from Saint Jean), or before the small church on the right (if coming from La Trinité) there is a comb parking lot, beyond the guard rail, which is quite capacious.

2. The route

From the small church in Tschemeonal, the trail starts by entering the forest, and turning immediately to the left. There are several ups and downs, always quite gentle: at the height of the golf course the path cuts through the Trail 5 going up to the Valnera Pass., then you drop down near Lake Gover to the valley floor elevation, ascend slightly, cut through the Trail 4 going up to the Eclou vent. at the height of the Staller waterfall that children always like so much….

Staller Stream Waterfall

…and finally, you arrive behind the parking lot of the Savoia Castle.

All in all, a great walk on a trail (especially the final part) that is wide and in perfect condition, passable even by strollers of some sturdiness.

The view towards Monte Rosa near the Staller waterfall

3. The GPX track

This is the map of the trail, according to the SCT Trail Cadastre of the Aosta Valley.

Download the trail in GPX format