Le Tour des Montagnettes

Located between the village and the alpine pasture, on the sunny side, “les montagnettes” are really small villages temporary inhabited according to the transhumance of humans and animals: Gros Murger, la Rochette, Mollard, Pelapoët, Plan Fournier, Vers le Saut.The term “Montagnettes” indicates a group of houses that is located between the main village and the alpine pasture. It’s a temporary place for the families and the animals. They are occupied during different periods of the year, even when the snow is coming. Humans and animals are going up and down through the year; we are calling it transhumance or “tramoués” in a local dialect. For the families who were living like that, 3 going back and forth guided their trip : - At the end of May, each family were going up to settle in their “montagnette”, until cows were going to the alpine pasture. - Back to the village : field work and making hay - At the “montagnette”: Making hay until cows came down from the alpine pasture. Harvest of hay, and cows eat the second crop (“regain” in local dialect). - At the end of October people and animals were going down to eat the second crop. - In November, people and animals were going up again for 3 months. In February the farmer had to decide when they had to go down at the village. The decision was made according to how much hay they still have at this period. Sometimes they take the decision to go down even with the snow, that it was quite difficult. - In the village, family and animals stayed until the snow melted.

Nel cuore della piccola frazione di Chambéranger, abbarbicata sul pendio del versante soleggiato della valle, sorge la cappella dedicata a San Bartolomeo. La decorazione è sobria, ma ricca di fascino e legata alla storia del territorio...Fondata tanto tempo fa (nel 1505!), la cappella è stata restaurata dagli abitanti del villaggio negli Anni '80 del Novecento. Infatti, la chiusura della fabbrica nella parte bassa del comune indusse alcuni uomini molto capaci a impiegare il loro tempo libero in questi lavori... Accanto alla cappella, il forno è ormai scomparso - lasciando soltanto il suo nome alla piazzetta - ma la grande vasca coperta esiste ancora oggi per illustrare la storia del villaggio. Se la chiesa del capoluogo è sorprendente, ricostruita nel 1972 in stile architettonico molto moderno con piattaforma, c'è un altro sito da visitare a mezz'ora di cammino dal villaggio: la cappella di Notre-Dame de la Salette. Una passeggiata piacevole... e sorprese assicurate!

Chamberanger (1250m) is a typical village which is a real witness of the traditional way of life in mountain: steep little streets, chains of houses hung on the slope. A fine example of adapting a mountain community to a difficult geography.This important hamlet of the commune of Le Planay sitting on a rocking spur seems to stick on the slope. Its traditional architecture is distinctive by its steep narrow streets made of “standing rocks”. Built with local materials from the spruce forest and quartzite quarry, the typical houses are characterized by a house divided in three parts, one used for permanent living, a stable and a barn. Its chapel dedicated to Saint Barthelemy has been built in 1505 and is the oldest chapel of Le Planay Commune. Chamberanger has also become a starting famous place to hike. Many hiking trails are available from the village specially to reach the Grand Bec refuge or Pralognan la Vanoise or Champagny en Vanoise.