Sarre

Europe

Italy

Access

The proximity to the capital and the location along the central valley make access to the municipality particularly easy. Sarre is located along the state road that connects Aosta to Courmayeur and is just a few hundred metres from the Aosta Ovest junction of the motorway. Connections with the capital are guaranteed by a regular public road transport service, while the nearest railway station is Aosta, from which one can continue by bus or private transport. This network of infrastructures contributes to the liveliness of the municipality and its integration with the city, in a balance of urban continuity, Alpine landscape and historical heritage that makes Sarre a privileged observatory for understanding the recent transformations of the central valley.

Introduction

Sarre is a municipality in Valle d'Aosta located immediately west of the capital, along the axis of the state road leading to Courmayeur. The settlement expansion of the plain has led to an urban continuity between the two centres in the more anthropised area of the valley floor, while the municipal territory develops widely upstream, crossing the exposed slopes of the Adret and reaching the high-altitude pastures at the foot of Mont Fallère. This vertical articulation makes it possible to move in a short distance from a peri-urban context to landscapes typical of the upper valley, configuring Sarre as one of the most dynamic and populous municipalities in the region, thanks in part to its strategic location along an important crossing axis.

Description

The oldest evidence of human habitation dates back to the Bronze Age, as documented by findings in the Ville-sur-Sarre area and near the cemetery area, where protohistoric structures have emerged that attest to the existence of settlements prior to the foundation of the Roman Augusta Praetoria. In the Middle Ages, the area fell under the influence of the lords of Bard, who were linked to the first construction phase of Sarre Castle, which was subsequently modified several times in relation to political changes in the area. In 1869, the purchase of the residence by Victor Emmanuel II gave the municipality a new symbolic centrality: the sovereign, assuming the title of Count of Sarre, made it a reference point for hunting trips to the valleys of Cogne, Rhêmes and Valsavarenche, inscribing the castle and the territory in the geography of the Italian monarchy.
The local economy reflects the proximity to Aosta, with a significant proportion of commuters and a consolidated tertiary sector, including services, commerce and administrative functions. Alongside this urban system, a slope agriculture specialising in viticulture, fruit growing and nursery activities remains active, favoured by the sunny exposure and the presence of ancient terracing. In the higher areas, cattle breeding still plays an important role thanks to the use of mountain pastures and high-altitude meadows, contributing to the maintenance of an agro-pastoral landscape that still characterises the slopes of Mont Fallère.
The municipality's cultural identity is marked by a strong Franco-Provençal component, evident in the dialectal toponym 'Sarro' and in the traditional ethnic forms 'Sarrois', 'Sarrolen' and 'Sarrolentse', which bear witness to a rich linguistic stratification. The patron saint Saint-Maurice, celebrated on 22 September, represents a reference shared by the numerous hamlets distributed throughout the territory, contributing to the cohesion of a community historically characterised by dispersed settlements. The contemporary cultural framework integrates traditional sporting practices such as fiolet and rebatta, along with a variegated associative fabric committed to enhancing the local heritage.
In terms of hiking, Sarre is a natural gateway to the slopes of Mont Fallère and to a network of trails linking alpine pastures, lakes and panoramic points in the upper valley. The itineraries are practicable in all seasons, even with snowshoes or ski mountaineering, and offer an immediate reading of the environmental gradient that characterises the municipal territory. Among the most interesting places is the Royal Castle of Sarre, situated on a promontory in the Lalex locality and dominating the Aosta plain: the building, renovated in the 18th century and adapted as a Savoy hunting lodge in the 19th century, now houses visitor itineraries that allow the visitor to read the various architectural and functional stratifications.

Information

Area: 28.15 km²
Altitude: 591m
Maximum elevation: 3,061m - Mont Fallère
Number of inhabitants: 4,833 as of 31.07.2025
Name in dialect: Sarro
Inhabitants name: Sarrois - Sarrolen, Sarrolentse
Patron Saint:St. Maurice, celebrated on 22 September
Neighbouring communes: Aosta, Aymavilles, Gignod, Gressan, Jovençan, Saint-Pierre
Website: www.comune.sarre.ao.en

Points of interest

Castle of Sarre