Projects

Interreg V-A Italia Svizzera Program

“SONO – Svelare occasioni nutrire opportunità”, funded under the 2014–2020 Italy–Switzerland Cross-Border Cooperation Program, is a project led, on the Italian side, by the Fondation Grand Paradis and, on the Swiss side, by the HES-SO Valais-Wallis Institute of Tourism, in partnership with the municipalities of Aymavilles, Introd, Rhêmes-St-Georges, Cogne, Saint-Marcel, Orsière, and Evolène.

The project aims to enhance the appeal of “lesser-known” areas—that is, regions characterized by environmental and cultural resources that have yet to be fully leveraged for tourism. Specifically, SONO seeks to give visitors the opportunity to understand and interpret the history, complexity, and diversity of the heritage sites they visit, through an experiential journey that highlights the roots and identity that make the destination unique.

Interreg Europe 2014-2020 Program

The “Digitourism” project is an initiative co-funded under the European Interreg Europe Program, whose goal is to implement and strengthen the partners’ regional and structural fund policies in order to promote innovation in digital reality (virtual reality and augmented reality) as applied to the tourism sector. The nine partner organizations (local and regional authorities, development agencies, private nonprofit associations, and universities) from eight countries (France, Italy, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Norway, Spain, Poland, and the Netherlands) participating in the “Digitourism” project have decided to work together by analyzing current policies and exchanging best practices. Thanks to their complementary experiences and expertise, as well as strong cooperation, the project partners aim to create the best conditions to foster innovation through more effective regional policies and structural funds.

Interreg Alcotra Program
Duration: 2017-2020

The P.A.C.T.A. project—Promouvoir l’Action Culturelle en Territoire Alpin — aims to promote culture in the Alpine region. Nature’s ability to generate and attract culture is embodied in the screenings and events of the Gran Paradiso Film Festival, which are conceived and produced in close collaboration with the project.

P.A.C.T.A. is the result of a well-established cross-border partnership between the Gran Paradiso valleys in the Aosta Valley and the Aulps and Abondance valleys in Haute-Savoie. Through this partnership, the goal is to identify common needs and determine the strategies to be implemented. These territories have a strong focus on tourism, featuring natural and cultural sites scattered throughout the region that experience highly seasonal tourist flows.

The common need that emerges is therefore to improve, expand, and diversify the tourism offering by promoting its seasonality, diversifying visitor flows, and building visitor loyalty through increased attractiveness and competitiveness of the region.

Interreg Europe Program
Duration: 2016-2020

“Destination management” strategies to strengthen the competitiveness of local SMEs — Destination SMES aims to support European regions in developing effective destination management strategies with the goal of creating an environment conducive to the growth of SMEs operating in the tourism sector and improving their competitiveness.

The project is an initiative co-funded under the European Interreg Europe Program and brings together seven European partners from France, Italy, Malta, Ireland, Finland, Latvia, and Slovenia: the partnership consists of public institutions at the national, regional, and local levels, as well as organizations designated by the relevant public authority.

The Leader Plus fund provided financing for the PTO project “Tourist Alpine Project 4061,” developed by Atelier Rural Grand Paradis. The PTO project “Tourist Alpine Project 4061” proposes tourism marketing initiatives to promote the Gran Paradiso region from the perspective of hiking and mountaineering.

The Leader Plus fund also provided funding for the project PIT “Les pays du Paradis”

The PIT – Les pays du Paradis project was funded through the Leader Plus fund and was carried out by the Atelier Rural Grand Paradis working group.

The “Les Pays du Paradis” PIT is a project aimed at strengthening the rural and tourism economy to provide professional and income opportunities, particularly for rural families, as a driving force for greater roots in the territory and in one of the most vulnerable areas with the highest rate of depopulation in the Aosta Valley Region. The first initiative is designed to stimulate the growth and professional development of the agricultural and livestock sectors, as well as their gradual integration into a broader tourism promotion project to increase the involvement of local operators and raise awareness of the quality of the region and its products. To this end, studies and publications have been produced, the “Atelier du Goût” was established at the Maison Bruil in Introd, and the following have been implemented:

Associazione Forte di Bard and Fondation Grand Paradis have launched a collaboration aimed at integrating their respective cultural and nature-based tourism offerings into a multidisciplinary approach.

Within this framework, a project—entirely funded by the European Social Fund—has been developed, titled “FORTEPARCO – Forte di Bard, Fondation Grand Paradis: A Proposal for an Integrated Offering.” The main achievements of the project include the design, production, and marketing of tour packages for individual visitors, adult groups, or school groups that combine the offerings of Forte di Bard and the Fondation Grand Paradis into stay packages lasting from one to seven days, marketed by the two organizations and by the tour operators Eurotravel, Mowgli, and Anni 30 Viaggi.

A project-conclusion publication titled “FORTEPARCO – Forte di Bard and Fondation Grand Paradis: A Journey to the Heart of the Alps” was produced to present, through images and brief texts, what the two sites have to offer.

The “Musei in cammino” network was founded in 2009 through the collaboration of 17 ethnographic museums in the Aosta Valley, with the goal of bringing these museums together into a single regional itinerary, highlighting the unique characteristics of each local institution.

The Grand Paradis Foundation has joined the network alongside the Maison de Cogne Gérard-Dayné and the Maison Bruil d’Introd, two examples of the rural architecture typical of the Gran Paradiso region.

ALCOTRA 2007-2013 Program

Imaginez un Transport Efficace et Responsable: with a view to pursuing broad-based sustainability, the project aims to ensure that public transportation services are effective and of high quality even in mountain valleys and to promote responsible behavior regarding personal mobility needs.

Among the activities carried out as part of the project are: a cross-border survey of public transportation options; the distribution of 105 pedal-assisted city bikes to local tourism operators; the installation of a rete di Hot Spot for free internet access at major bus stops and in the town squares of the municipalities within the Grand Paradis Mountain Community; a rental service for mountain bike a pedalata for visitors to the Gran Paradiso valleys; the development of the “Valli del Gran Paradiso” smartphone app, designed to help users explore the region and find public transportation options for reaching the Aosta Valley, the Gran Paradiso Valleys, and getting around the area; support for the development of the “SVAP Bus” smartphone app, which provides real-time information on bus arrival times at stops; and the organization of numerous events and initiatives to promote sustainable mobility.

Rete Veicoli Elettrici Grand Paradis

Program: POR FESR VALLE D’AOSTA 2007-2013
Duration: 2011-2012

The project titled “Rê.V.E. – Grand Paradis, Electric Vehicle Network – Grand Paradis/Réseau Véhicules Électriques – Grand Paradis,” aims to coordinate measures to reduce automobile traffic in the valleys on the Aosta Valley side of the Gran Paradiso National Park, promoting a sustainable approach to mobility and a broader perspective on the challenges of reducing climate-changing emissions. With a view toward long-term environmental sustainability, the project’s goal is to enable zero-impact local travel through the use of vehicles powered by electricity generated from a renewable source: solar photovoltaics.

This pilot project—designed to be easily replicated in other municipalities in the Aosta Valley—is based on the installation of a network of 11 modular solar-powered bike shelters, complete with systems to monitor solar energy production, the use of electric vehicles, and real-time information for residents. The shelters will be equipped with 66 pedal-assist bicycles, which will be made available to users free of charge.

INTERREG IV C Program
Duration: 2010-2012

The Business To Nature project—Interregional Approach to SMEs and Entrepreneurship in Natural Areas (acronym B2N)—is an initiative co-funded under the INTERREG IV C program, whose aim is to contribute to the economic and sustainable development of European regions by comparing and promoting best practices in the development of entrepreneurship in natural areas. Eleven institutions from nine European countries participated in the project: Bulgaria, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The total budget for the project, which ran from January 2010 to December 2012, was 1,954,465 euros, of which 186,360 euros were allocated to the Fondation Grand Paradis.

ALCOTRA 2007-2013 Program
Duration: 2008 – 2010

Cross-border cooperation project No. 046, “Les Racines du Goût” (Alcotra 2007–2013), set as its main objectives the diversification of cultural offerings by promoting the preservation, transmission, and adaptation of customs and knowledge related to the use of plants in mountain regions, and to encourage cultural exchange by involving partners with expertise in the scientific, agricultural, and cultural fields in a multidisciplinary approach to the issue of taste as it relates to local products. As part of the project, the Grand Paradis Foundation has carried out numerous outreach and awareness-raising initiatives. Among the public awareness activities, of particular importance are the thematic educational workshops aimed at preschool and elementary school children and “Gran Paradiso in Scena,” an animated traveling exhibition exploring the unique characteristics of Gran Paradiso through a blend of legend, reality, and humor, which concludes at the Atelier du Goût with a guided tasting of local products. To share stories about the production of local products and the traditional craftsmanship that is part of the local heritage, the Fondation Grand Paradis also produced the video “Les Racines du Goût: Discovering the Flavors of Gran Paradiso,” directed by Joseph Péaquin of the Aosta Valley for DocFilm.