Roisan
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redazione
Access
Roisan can be reached via the [A5] Turin–Aosta motorway, taking the Aosta Est exit, from where you continue north along the through the Valpelline; until June 2027, the link between the motorway and the main road is closed for tunnelling works, and the route runs through the city of Aosta. The road to Roisan branches off from the regional road, leading up to the main town and the villages on the mountainside. The main railway station is Aosta, on Trenitalia’s (TI) Chivasso–Aosta line; the section between Aosta and Ivrea is closed for electrification works and is served by replacement buses, with a phased reopening scheduled from January 2027. Local public transport is operated by Arriva Italia, with suburban routes connecting Aosta to the municipalities of Valpelline. The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Turin-Caselle’s ‘Sandro Pertini’ Airport. During the winter months, the mountain roads may have snow-covered or icy sections and require winter tyres or snow chains to be carried on board.
Introduction
Roisan is a municipality in the Aosta Valley, situated in the lower Valpelline, on the left bank of the Buthier, a few kilometres north of Aosta. The main town, Martinet, lies just over 800 metres above sea level on a sun-facing terrace, whilst the surrounding area rises up to the ridges separating the Valpelline from the central valley, at altitudes exceeding 2,800 metres. The municipality borders Aosta, Doues, Gignod, Saint-Christophe and Valpelline. Its agricultural heritage has shaped its history: in the absence of natural springs, the fertility of the fields depended on the medieval construction of a network of irrigation channels.
Description
The area stretches from the Buthier valley floor up to the high-altitude pastures, in a succession of cultivated terraces, villages and wooded areas. The settlement is scattered across numerous hamlets, including Martinet, Blavy, Champvillair, Closellinaz, Preil, Rhins and Massinod. Five main irrigation channels cross the municipality: the Ru Prévôt, the Ru Champapon, the Ru Mort, the Ru des Vignes and the Ru Pompillard, the latter fed by water flowing down from the main town of Valpelline. On the Ru Prévôt, not far from the main town, stands the medieval Grand Arvou aqueduct bridge.
The area was inhabited in Roman times, and the place name is thought to derive from Rosius, the owner of a farmstead from that period. The origins of the settlement are linked to the road that ran up the left bank of the Buthier towards the inner valley. The Ru Prévôt was built in the 14th century on the initiative of Provost Henry de Quart, from whom it takes its name. The history of the municipality followed that of the noble families who held lordship over it, until its emancipation in 1778. In 1928, the municipality was abolished and incorporated into Aosta; administrative autonomy was restored at the end of the Second World War. Its built heritage includes the 15th-century parish church of San Vittore, the fortified house of Rhins – a medieval tower that was once the seat of jurisdiction for the small fiefdom of the same name and is now a rural dwelling – the nearby 17th-century chapel of theApparition of St Michael, dating from the 17th century, and numerous rural chapels, including that of Martinet, linked to the time of the plague.
The economy has long been based on agriculture and livestock farming, favoured by the village’s exposure and the network of ‘rus’; the proximity to Aosta subsequently steered the municipality towards a residential role. The Coumba Freida carnival, with masks inspired by the uniforms of the Napoleonic troops who passed through in 1800, is the most popular event. Upstream from the main town, there is a climbing wall. Roisan is part of the Unité des Communes valdôtaines Grand-Combin.
At lower altitudes, the area forms part of the cultivated and wooded region of the lower Valpelline, home to the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), the fox (Vulpes vulpes), badgers, squirrels and, in the deciduous woodland, reptiles such as the green lizard and the common viper. In the grasslands and mid-altitude woods, the red deer (Cervus elaphus) is widespread; as one ascends towards Becca di Roisan, the marmot (Marmota marmota) and the chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra). Among the birds of prey are the buzzard (Buteo buteo), the kestrel and thegolden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos).
The routes along the rus, which are also suitable for mountain bikes, run alongside the hillside trails that climb up to theAlpe Riond, where there is an ancient oratory, and, beyond the municipal boundaries, to Becca di Viou, a vantage point overlooking the central valley and the peaks of Gran Paradiso and Grand Combin, reachable on foot from the main town. The route lends its name to a trail running race that starts from the town.
Information
General information
Area: 14.64 km²
Altitude of the main town: 866 m
Highest point: 2,546 m – Becca de Roisan
Population: 984 (as at 1 January 2026)
Name in the local dialect: Rèizàn
Name of the inhabitants: Roisanais
Patron saint: Saint Victor of Solothurn, celebrated on 30 September
Neighbouring municipalities: Aosta – Doues – Gignod – Saint-Christophe – Valpelline
Region: Aosta Valley
Country: Italy
Official website: comune.roisan.ao.it