Legend has it that this long ridge covers the little toe of the giant Gargantua. The geology is less entertaining and not much more certain: the hill is of morainic origin, and there is no agreement on whether it was built by the glacier that carved the Dora Baltea valley or by the Gressan torrent coming down from the Pila basin.
What to see
The reserve was established in 1995 on the territory of Gressan and protects the steppe formations growing on this dry, wind-swept ridge, also recognised as a special conservation area. It is the kind of habitat that in the Aosta Valley survives only on the adret, the side the sun works on all year.
Our editors' tip
It is a few minutes up from the valley floor and makes a short walk, good even in winter when the rest of the valley lies under snow. You can follow the ridge from one end to the other, and from up there the whole plain of Aosta is in view.