From the Val d'Entremont, a road leads over the Great St. Bernard pass into the Italian Aosta valley. The pass has been an important transit route for centuries. But the Valais valley is also home to a number of very well preserved historic villages and hamlets. This hike connects the most beautiful among them: Liddes, Chandonne, Commeire, La Rosière, Chamoille d'Orsières and La Douay. The oldest and most famous route through the valley is the Via Francigena, a historic pilgrimage route from Canterbury to Rome. This hike, on the other hand, takes you a little higher through sunny pastures, forests and sleepy mountain villages off the beaten track.

The starting point is Liddes with its 13th century church and an interesting little museum. Afterwards, you reach Chardonne, a peaceful hamlet at 1454 m altitude situated on a sunny terrace. All the villages along the route boast a rich architectural heritage in the form of traditional houses, chalets and barns. A prime example: the sustainable tourism project "montagne alternative" in Commeire, a so-called "albergo diffuso". Every fourth barn in the hamlet is part of the concept hotel. From the outside, you can’t tell them apart from the rest of the barns and dwellings. The hamlet hides another, not immediately obvious surprise: an underground artillery fortification. Built in the early 1940s, it had room for almost 140 soldiers who would defend the valley. The complex can be visited and it is even possible to rent parts of it for events.

The next village, La Rosière, attracts pilgrims from all over the world: Maurice Tornay, a Catholic priest (1910-1949) grew up here. He was active in missions in China and Tibet and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1993. His birthplace is open to the public. After the sleepy village of Chamoille, the route ends at the bottom of the valley in La Douay.