Pontey

Pontey Pounté (Valdôtain)
Comune
Comune di Pontey
Coordinates:
Country	Italy
Region	Aosta Valley
Province	none
Frazioni	Clapey, Cloutraz, Crétaz, Crétaz-Boson, Épiney, La Bovaye, Lassolaz (chef-lieu), Lézin, Prélaz, Prolex, Semon, Torin, Tzésanouva, Valérod, Dzerbio, Mesaney
Area
• Total	15 km2 (5.8 sq mi)
Elevation	525 m (1,722 ft)
Population  (31 December 2022)
• Total	790
• Density	53/km2 (140/sq mi)
Demonym	Pontesans
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	11024
Dialing code	0166
ISTAT code	7051
Patron saint	Martin of Tours
Saint day	11 November
Website	Official website

Pontey (Valdôtain: Pounté) is a town and comune in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy.

Pontey is located on the right bank (envers) of the Doire baltée, the main river in the Aosta Valley, about 24 kilometers east of the regional capital Aosta.

Geography

Territory

The town is located at an altitude of 1,722 ft (525 meters) above sea level, bordered by the towns of Chambave, Saint-Denis, Châtillon and Champdepraz and culminates with the top of the reaches Mont Ruvic in 9,587 ft (2,922 meters)
In the municipal area, there are three streams called Molinaz, Eau-Noire (or Éve Née in Valdôtain patois, which means "Black Water") and Vau.

Hamlets

Unofficial names of the hamlets in Valdôtain patois are indicated in brackets: Clapey, Cloutraz (Quiótra), Crétaz, Crétaz-Boson, Épiney, Bosayes (La Bóvàye), Lassolaz (La Sóla - chef-lieu), Lesin (Lizén), Prélaz (Préla), Prolex, Semont (Semón), Torin (Tòén), Chesanouva (Tséza Noua), Vallerod (Valïoù), Dzerbio, Mesaney.

Climate

The location of the village on the right bank of the central valley (the envers) means that it is subject to a microclimate very different countries sites on the left bank (the so-called adret).

Indeed, winter mountains in which the country is leaning maintain overshadow the country for two months from November 20 to January 30, for this reason the temperatures drop in a much more decisive and touch the 14 °F (−10 °C) during the day, with peaks at night in exceptional years of −22 °F (−30 °C).

During the summer because of its location enjoys greater solar illumination compared to neighboring towns, and because of that the calculation of hours of sunshine throughout the year is substantially equal.

The country is located in climate zone E (2,971 Celsius Degrees Day) but under the regional contributions for heating all the municipalities of Aosta Valley are valued as climate zone F.

History

During the Fascist period, Pontey was merged to the municipality of Châtillon, at the time called Castiglione Dora, due to the Italianization programme.

The original toponym and the municipality were restored in 1946.

Origin of the name

The name probably derives from Latin "ponticulus", meaning "little bridge".

Monuments and places of interest

Religious Architecture

References to the church are in a papal of 1176 of Pope Alexander III, which is part of the community Diocese of Aosta.

On the territory there are three church buildings: the parish church dedicated to St. Martin of Tours and dated around 1400, the Chapel of the Holy Cross (formerly dedicated to St. Roch, located in the hamlet Banchet) and the chapel of Sorrows (Torin hamlet).

• The parish church of St. Martin of Tours
  The parish church of St. Martin of Tours
• The church near the town hall
  The church near the town hall

Civil architectures

In Plan-Coca are the remains of industrial archeology "Le grand fourneau", French for big furnace, a blast furnace dating from the eighteenth century, while in Ussert are located the remains of the "foundry" Gervasone.

Society

Languages and dialects

As in the rest of the Aosta Valley, in Pontey too is spoken the Valdôtain dialect.

Infrastructure and transport

File:Pontey - école élémentaire.JPG

The elementary school.

Education

The municipality has a primary school dedicated to Jean-André Arbenson, and a kindergarten dedicated to Laurent-Samuel Henriod.

Sports Infrastructure

The town has a sports area multipurpose open on 3 May 2010, for the practice of Football 5, volleyball and tennis. In the municipal area is also a climbing wall.

File:Pontey Lassolaz - panneau bilingue.JPG

Bilingual road sign (Italian-French) in Lassolaz (chef-lieu).

Roads

The road network of the municipality is made up of the Regional Road 10 from east to west to the junction between the villages of Banchet and Valérod, located near the Chapel of the Holy Cross.

Pontey is connected with neighboring municipalities through two bridges on the Doire baltée: one to the National Road 26 (Turin – La Thuile), and the other with Châtillon passing near the Châtillon railway station.

Administration

File:Pontey munic.jpg

The Town Hall

It is part of the Unité des communes valdôtaines du mont-Cervin.

Bibliography

• Fausta Baudin, Omar Borettaz, Rosella Obert, Pontey: storia e immagini di una comunità, Aosta: Tipografia valdostana, 2002
• Damien Daudry, Segnalazione e documentazione fotografica del villaggio protostorico della Cime Noire, in Bulletin d'études préhistoriques et archéologiques alpines, fascicolo 16, 2005, pp. 157–176
• Mario Catalano, Santuario astronomico delle ruote cosmiche in Valmérianaz, 2002
• Pierre Daudry, A proposito di pietre solari e di una strada lastricata sulle alture di Pontey, in Bulletin d'études préhistoriques alpines, fascicolo 2, 1969/1970, pp. 183–188

See also

• Via Francigena