The oven and the mill come alive for the cross-border black bread festival
Lo Pan Ner - Breads of the Alps is a cross-border festival born in the Aosta Valley in 2015 and now celebrated simultaneously in over fifty Aosta Valley municipalities, as well as in Piedmont, Lombardy, France, and the Swiss canton of Valais. On a single autumn weekend, the community ovens of Alpine villages are reignited to bake the traditional black rye bread.
In Challand-Saint-Anselme (Aosta Province), in the Ayas Valley, the heart of the festival is the hamlet of Tilly, where the historic community oven is brought back into operation for collective baking. Not far away, the Ruvère mill opens to visitors, explaining the entire mountain bread production chain, from rye milling to baking.
For centuries, the hamlet ovens (fôr) were the focal point of life in the Aosta Valley villages: families would bake large quantities of rye bread together, intended for long preservation. Reigniting the Tilly oven means renewing this community gesture, now protected as part of Franco-Provençal cultural heritage.
The festival in Challand-Saint-Anselme combines baking, children's entertainment, roasted chestnut gatherings, and convivial moments like the Bocona', a snack with typical Aosta Valley products and freshly baked black bread. An authentic opportunity to discover the traditions of the Ayas Valley and the deep bond between Alpine communities.
For 2026 too, Challand-Saint-Anselme will participate in Lo Pan Ner - Breads of the Alps, the cross-border festival dedicated to black bread. The event is scheduled for the last weekend of October (approximately October 24-25, 2026), in line with the regional Aosta Valley calendar.
The heart of the festival will remain the historic oven in the hamlet of Tilly, reignited for rye bread baking, alongside the opening of the Ruvère mill. The detailed 2026 program will be announced by the Municipality of Challand-Saint-Anselme and on lopanner.com.
The detailed program for the 2026 edition in Challand-Saint-Anselme will be published in the weeks preceding the event. Based on recent editions, the usual structure includes:
Information and full calendar on lopanner.com and at the Municipality of Challand-Saint-Anselme.
Challand-Saint-Anselme is reached from the Verrès motorway exit (A5), heading up the Ayas Valley. The hamlets of Tilly and Ruvère are located near the main village.
Free access to activities. Opportunity to purchase freshly baked black bread and participate in mill tours.
Program organized by the Municipality of Challand-Saint-Anselme, as part of the regional Lo Pan Ner calendar (lopanner.com).
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Forno di Tilly e Mulino di Ruvère
Frazione Tilly, 11020 Challand-Saint-Anselme