Aosta Valley · Aosta Valley
Saint-Vincent
The Aosta Valley's belle-époque thermal town — a 4,400-resident commune on a sunny south-facing terrace at 575m with the Fonte Salée mineral spring (in use since 1770), the Casinò de la Vallée (Italy's second-largest legal casino since 1947), and the Matterhorn peak visible north of town.
Known for
ALPINE RIVIERA SPA
Fonte Salée mineral spring since 1770, full 1928 Stile Liberty spa building. The 'Riviera delle Alpi' nickname dates to the 19th-c elite cure-takers.
CASINÒ DE LA VALLÉE
Italy's first legal casino outside Sanremo (1947), now the country's second-largest. Underwrites the Aosta Valley regional budget.
ROMAN BATH UNDER THE CHURCH
Collegiata di San Vincenzo built over a 1st-c AD Roman bath complex — the mosaic floors are visible in the crypt.
PETITE ARVINE WINE
South-facing vineyards just below town produce the Aosta Valley's two distinctive whites — Petite Arvine and Müller Thurgau.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
The festa: Vincenzo di Saragozza, 19 January
Why come
Saint-Vincent is the Aosta Valley's small-scale belle-époque destination — a 4,448-resident commune sitting on a south-facing terrace 28 km east of Aosta along the main Aosta–Turin road, with a sunny microclimate that earned it the local nickname 'Riviera delle Alpi' (Alpine Riviera) for the 19th-century elite who came to take the thermal cure. The thermal story: the Fonte Salée mineral spring was discovered by the local parish priest Jean-Baptiste Perret in 1770, declared therapeutic for digestive and urinary disorders, and developed into a proper spa over the 19th century — the Terme di Saint-Vincent still operates today in the original 1928 Stile Liberty building, supplied by the same spring at 11°C, used for drinking-cure and balneotherapy. The casino story: the Casinò de la Vallée opened in 1947 to underwrite the Region's autonomy budget, was Italy's first legal casino outside Sanremo, and today runs as the second-largest in the country (after Venice's) with 23 gaming tables and 600 slots inside a 1960s glass-and-steel rotunda just above the centro.
Beyond the casino + spa: the centro storico is a quietly handsome 19th-century resort streetscape with the Collegiata di San Vincenzo (15th-c, raised over a Roman bath complex whose mosaic floors are visible in the crypt), the Casa Lo Presti, the Liberty-era seafront-style promenade, and the cremagliera (funicular) up the hillside behind town for the view. North of town: the Matterhorn appears on clear days. South: the Mont Avic Regional Park is 15 km.
Food is Valdostan with French-leaning touches: fontina, Mocetta, polenta concia, the local Petite Arvine and Müller Thurgau wines from the south-facing vineyards just below town, plus French-style patisseries on the corso. The Carnevale Storico in February (medieval costumed processions) and the Saint Vincent Tourisme jazz festival (late June) are the year's main events.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Saint-Vincent’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Terme di Saint-Vincent + Fonte Salée
Mineral spring discovered 1770, full Liberty-era spa building from 1928 still operating — drinking-cure and balneotherapy with the same 11°C water for 250 years.
Casinò de la Vallée
Opened 1947, Italy's first legal casino outside Sanremo and now the country's second-largest. 23 gaming tables + 600 slots in a 1960s glass rotunda above the centro.
Collegiata di San Vincenzo + Roman crypt
15th-c church raised over a Roman bath complex — the mosaic floors of the bath are visible in the crypt below the nave.
Cremagliera + Matterhorn views
Funicular up the hillside behind town gives the panoramic view — the Matterhorn appears on clear days to the north.
Petite Arvine vineyards
South-facing vineyards just below town produce Petite Arvine and Müller Thurgau — the Aosta Valley's two distinctive white wines. Cellar visits in town.
The slow-trip planner
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Living here
- Population 4,448
- Commuter belti
- Pharmacy in town
- Nearest airport Turin, 1 h 20 min drive
- Regional capital Aosta, 34 min drive
Thermal baths in town: Terme di Saint Vincent.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
The numbers
- Elevation: 575 m
- Population: 4,448
- Surface area: 20.57 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Close by
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