Saint-Pierre

Introduction

A commune on the valley floor, located a few kilometres west of Aosta. It is a very ancient settlement: already in 3000 B.C., there was a settlement in the locality of Châteler. The existence of a hilly road linking Saint-Pierre and Gignod, a locality upstream from Aosta in the Great St. Bernard Valley, is also remembered; this road is said to date back to the Salassi, an indigenous population from pre-Roman times.

Description

Today, this road axis is still practicable, although it has taken on the characteristics of modern times. In the Middle Ages, the community was divided into two nuclei referring to the two castles on the territory of the present-day municipality: that of Sarriod de la Tour, located in a flat area, and that of Saint-Pierre en Châtel-Argent perched on a hill. The former, fiefdom of the now extinct family of the same name, retains the appearance of an ancient manor: restored in recent times, it housed the Archaeological Museum before being transferred to the Palazzo Roncas in Aosta.
The castle of Saint-Pierre is one of the best known in the region, thanks to its fairy-tale appearance, the result of reconstruction work carried out in 1873 in a questionable late Romantic style, which contrasts with the entire architectural layout of the region's numerous castles. Today, the building houses the Museum of Natural Sciences.
The traditional agricultural economic structure has recently been overturned due to the town's proximity to the regional capital, of which it has become a desirable residential centre. In terms of agriculture, however, viticulture stands out, which has yielded original results thanks to the preservation of native vines and the production of Torrette wine. Apple cultivation is also renowned, of which Saint-Pierre is one of the main centres in the region.

Information

Area: 26.18 sq km
Altitude: 731m
Maximum elevation: Mont Fallère (3061m)
 Number of inhabitants: 3205
Name in dialect:
Inhabitant name: saint-pierroleins
Patron Saint: Saint Peter (29 June)
Internet site: www.comune.saint-pierre.ao.en
Webcam:
Bordering communes: Avise, Aymavilles, Gignod, Saint-Nicolas, Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses, Sarre, Villeneuve
 Villages and hamlets: Bourg, Alleysin, Babelon, Bachod, Bercher, Bosses, Bressan, Breyes, Bussan Dessous, Bussan du milieu, Caillet, Champrétavy, Chantel, Charrion, Château-Feuillet, Cognein, Combaz, Combellin, Creuzet, Étavel, Grandzettaz, Homené dessous, Homené dessus, Jacquemin, Jeanton, Jonin, La Barmaz, La Charrère, La Croix, La Grange, La Pièce, La Rosiére, Luboz, Méod dessous, Méod dessus, Montagnine, Ordines, Orléans dessous, Orléans dessus, Orléantson, Pelon, Perchut, Plan Châtelair, Pommier, Praulin, Praximond, Preille, Prieuré, Ronchaille, Roserettaz, Rossan, Rumiod dessous, Rumiod dessus, Séez, Tâche, Torrette, Véreytaz, Vergnod, Vermian, Vernes, Verrogne, Vétan dessous, Vétan dessus, Vétan Villette