Clusters of block-built houses around the church shape Ayer. The village can be explored through its architectural history, local craft traditions and trails with different focuses. For planning, it helps to distinguish between the historic village trail, the Zau Zoura educational trail and the described walking and mountain biking routes.
Village history around the church and historic trail
The Sainte-Anne church in Ayer was consecrated in 1920. Several frescoes by the Florentine painter Alfredo Cini (1887–1970), dating from 1949, are located both outside and inside the church, including on the chancel arch. The consecration and the later artistic decoration thus represent distinct periods. The historic trail leads to ten of the village’s most notable sights and conveys its past and present history through its architectural heritage. If you would like to discover Ayer primarily through its architecture and local history, this trail offers a clear thematic focus.
The work of earlier generations is also part of the village’s character. Ayer’s historic mill remained in operation until 1941. A small museum houses tools and equipment that belonged to Daniel Melly (1919–2002). The ground floor of a building in Ayer displays butchers’ tools; upstairs, tools used in dairy farming are on show. These exhibitions complement the perspective on architectural history with objects from different fields of work.
Trails with different focuses
The Zau Zoura educational trail is six kilometres long and leads from the old village to the Mayen des Moyes. Information panels explain the ecosystem between Ayer and the Mayen and how people fit into this environment. If you would like to explore ecological connections as you walk, this trail offers an alternative to the historic trail, with its sights and architectural heritage. Trail conditions may change seasonally; take this into account when planning your visit.
From Tsahèlett, you can walk to the Col de Bella Vouarda; from there, the route continues to Lac de Toûno or into the St-Luc region. This offers a choice between a named lake destination and another region.
A mountain biking route to Barneuza starts in Ayer and passes via Navetta and the Mayens des Moyes to the Mayens de Barneuza. Trail conditions on this route can vary seasonally, so take this into account when planning. Another mountain biking route runs from Mission in Anniviers to Tsahèlett in Ayer and follows an unpaved track all the way to its destination. The two route descriptions differ in their starting points and destinations; for the route to Tsahèlett, the unpaved section to the destination is also a specific planning consideration.
Bread-making tradition and summer pastures
Rye bread from Ayer’s communal oven is made with a dough of boiled and mashed potatoes, rye flour and corn. It is left to stand overnight. The communal bread oven is still used to bake rye bread once or twice a year. The recipe and baking schedule give the local bread-making tradition a tangible place alongside the buildings and historical exhibitions.
The use of the landscape is also seasonal: in summer, the Nava Alp above Ayer provides pasture for cows from the region. Thus, alongside the church, mill and crafts, summer grazing above the village is also part of its history.
Discover more destinations: Pralong, Vercorin, Grône, Saint-Jean Vs, Venthône, Miège, Sierre, Lens.
Go to the main travel overview: Siders.
