Echevennoz to Aosta (part III - magic moments and a waving bishop)

Today there were two magical moments. The first was as I began the descent to Gignod, and the path opened out onto a high wildflower meadow against a backdrop of mountains, tinny cowbells providing an arrhythmic counterpoint. 

wildflower meadow

 

The second was the tranquility of the little hamlet of Chez Henry, further down, its chalets and vegetable plots set among apple and pear orchards.  

As I descended further towards Aosta, the mountains grew in size, yet somehow the more sky they filled, the less breathtaking they became, until they were just a dark background glimpsed between buildings.

With a lot of the Via running along the main road as it approaches Aosta, the final few kilometres were less pleasant and interesting, but there was a pretty church frontage,

And I did notice a stuffed toy parrot on a gate as I descended a long, narrow street of well-to-do houses leading into the centre of town. This was the first time I'd been in the medieval centre.

The modern (as in not medieval) cathedral in Aosta laid on a friendly bishop waving to me from the rooftop.

You can get a stamp for the credential at the back of the cathedral; just ask at the "treasures" desk.