Between hamlets and sunny highland pastures at the Dôme de Vaugelaz

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GRAVITY LAB

297 Av. Marechal Leclerc
73700 Bourg Saint Maurice

+33 (0)4-79-40-05-54

1,250m up, on the Versant du Soleil (sunny side) ledge, this hamlet is a prime viewing spot for looking out over the ski areas of Les Arcs, Montchavin-les-Coches, La Plagne, La Rosière, the Col de la Madeleine and Mont Pourri.
St Antoine's Chapel, dating back to 1702, can be found here. Outside, you can admire the quadrangular pinnacle crowning it. Then step inside to see a Baroque altarpiece featuring typical iconography. The chapel lies along the "Chemins du Baroque" sightseeing trail.

La Thuile de Vulmix village is perched on the Roignais slopes at an altitude of 1,289m.
The chapel dedicated to St Bartholomew was rebuilt in 1679 where an older, run-down church had once stood. St Bartholomew is the patron saint of butchers, tanners, glove makers, binders and curriers. The chancel and ante-chancel are separated by a walnut chancel screen crowned with a rood beam (1681) bearing decoration of Christ on the cross and statues of the Virgin Mary and St John. The small colourful altarpiece is attributed to Etienne Fodéré, a local sculptor from Maurienne who fashioned many of the sculptures around the valley. It is graced with various statues of saints whom villagers call on to protect them from various ills.
Open daily for unaccompanied visits.
For guided tours, please contact the Tourist Offices of Bourg St Maurice les Arcs
Tel.: +33 (0)4 79 07 12 57

The name of this hamlet comes from the French word for well, puits. It nestles on the sunny side and enjoys an unrestricted view over the Haute-Tarentaise Valley.
Much like the other surrounding villages, Le Poiset also has a relatively old chapel, which is dedicated to St John, the Evangelist.
The chapel is closed, but have a peek through the open-work entrance doorway and you'll be able to see an altarpiece showing St John plunged in a cauldron of boiling oil, an act of torture he is believed to have survived.

When the Duchy of Savoy (Savoie) was annexed to France in 1860, the unification of Italy posed a new threat. In 1888 France established the Alpine troops as well as a protective system that ran from the Jura all the way down to Nice: the Séré de Rivière line. For the construction of the forts, emphasis was placed on large passes and natural outlets. Tarentaise Valley was particularly exposed. It could be accessed from the mountain passes of Le Petit Saint-Bernard, Mont-Cenis and L'Iseran, and preventing such free passage was therefore paramount. The plans for the Séré de Rivière system anticipated several structures. La Redoute Ruinée, built just above the mountain pass, provided it with direct protection.
This fort is supported by another three, with very specific purposes:
- Vulmix (1,000m), barring access
- Le Truc (1,573m), protection
- La Platte (2,000m), surveillance
Despite the distance between them, the three forts of Bourg-Saint-Maurice formed an integral protection and surveillance system. The Vulmix Fort was built between 1890 and 1891. The eight large-calibre cannon installed in its blockhouses prevented any attempted passage. This was the most cutting-edge fort in the Alps back in 1914.
It can be visited during the European Heritage Days (in September): enquiries at the Tourist Offices of Bourg-Saint-Maurice / Les Arcs.
Tel.: +33 (0)4 79 07 12 57

Altitude of 1,000m.
The name Vulmix is believed to come from the Latin word ulmus (elm). This tree, which once grew around the village, was wiped out in Europe by a microscopic fungus. The spelling of the name currently in use is "Vulmix", although in the past it was more often seen in the form Vulmis and, during the French Revolution, Vulmy. The first official document in which the village appears is the "Mappe Sarde" dated 1728-1733, the land register of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. At a time when Bourg-Saint-Maurice was still only a rural hamlet, Vulmix was the capital village.

Village life mainly revolved around farming, as evidenced in the village’s three basins, which were used for the residents and animals alike. Vulmix was also renowned for the quality of its orchards. In the olden days, the fountain or bachal supplied water to the villagers, and was used as a trough for livestock and as a washing point. The village of Vulmix had several fountains, built with thick, wide slabs of schist which could be decorated. In the high street, for example, there is a fountain (1893) adorned with a man's head sculpted directly in the stone.

were used for the residents and animals alike. Vulmix was also renowned for the quality of its orchards. Apple yields were high, and much of the harvest was sold region-wide. The village had another key asset: salt. This is believed to have been mined since ancient times, but it was in the 16th century that extraction was scaled up substantially. The army’s settlement here in the 1890s led to a significant fall in agricultural income, a loss that was partly offset by the opening of a few businesses: there were up to 7 cafés in the village. Vulmix also had its own fruitière or cheese dairy, where the common fruit of the villagers’ labour (i.e. milk) was brought to be turned into cheese. The dairy closed in 1966.

Guided tours: enquiries at the Tourist Offices of Bourg-Saint-Maurice / les Arcs Tel: +33 (0)4 79 07 12 57