What is Donnas known for?

First DOC in Valle d'Aosta, granted in 1971: a Nebbiolo-led red from terraced slopes around Donnas, Perloz, Pont-Saint-Martin and Bard. A 221-metre stretch of first-century BC Roman road carved into the cliff, with cart ruts, a rock-cut arch and the XXXVI-mile milestone from Aosta. Medieval village rebuilt against the cliff after the 1176 landslide destroyed Treby a kilometre west, the original settlement of the area.

Donnas is a comune in the province of Aosta Valley, Aosta Valley region of Italy, about 75 kilometers from Torino.

Aosta Valley · Aosta Valley

Donnas

The first DOC of Valle d'Aosta, a Nebbiolo-on-terraces wine townwhere the Roman Via delle Gallie was carved into living rock.

75 km / 47 mi

Nearest hub (Torino)

2,420

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Donnas sitsat the south-eastern mouth of the Aosta Valley, where the Dora Baltea slows and the cliffs close in on the old road. The Romans built the Via delle Gallie through here in the first century BC to connect the Po Valley with Gaul, and a 221-metre stretch of paved road, cut for more than 200 metres directly into the bedrock, still survives with cart-wheel ruts in the stone, a single Roman arch, and a milestone marking the thirty-sixth mile from Augusta Praetoria. The medieval village rebuilt itself against the cliff face after the 1176 landslide that destroyed the older settlement of Treby a kilometre west. Wine has been documented here since 1200. In 1971, Donnas became the first Valdostan wine to earn DOC status: 85 to 90 per cent Nebbiolo, grown on terraced slopes along the Dora, vinified at the Caves Coopératives de Donnas above the historic centre.

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Gallery

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Known for

Strada Romana delle Gallie
First-century BC Roman road carved directly into the bedrock for more than 200 metres, with surviving cart-wheel ruts, a single arch and a milestone.
Arco Romano e Miliario
Roman arch cut from the rock and a milestone indicating the XXXVI mile from Augusta Praetoria, anchoring the surviving stretch of the Via delle Gallie.
Borgo storico di Donnas
Medieval village rebuilt against the cliff face after the 1176 landslide that destroyed nearby Treby, with stone houses along the old consular road.
Caves Coopératives de Donnas
Cooperative winery above the historic centre, producing the Donnas DOC red wine, first Valdostan denomination, with 85-90 per cent Nebbiolo.
Vigneti terrazzati della Dora
Terraced vineyards stepping up from the Dora Baltea on both banks, the Alpine viticulture landscape that defines the lower valley.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September through October are the working months in Donnas. The vineyards bud and leaf out in spring, the harvest runs through September into early October, and the lower-valley light is at its clearest. The Via delle Gallie is walkable year-round but most pleasant in shoulder seasons, when the rock-cut road is dry and the sun reaches the cliff face. July and August are warm at 322 metres, with afternoons in the high twenties, and the A5 traffic from Turin runs heavy. November through March is quiet. The cooperative cellar stays open with tastings by appointment, and winter mist often settles in the Dora gorge below Bard.