Les Bormes – Invisible paths, silent presences
Les Bormes
Invisible paths, silent presences
Les Bormes is not just an abandoned place. It is a passage between worlds.
This former village – whose name comes from bormes, rock crevices and natural shelters – now lives a different life. The stone houses are carpeted in moss, roofs have opened to the sky. But the paths… they remain. And they are still travelled. No longer by the farmers of old, but by the wild animals who now inhabit these woods.
Here, far from roads and buildings, Nature reclaims its rhythm.
Red deer, roe deer, wild boar, foxes, badgers, pine martens, raptors, owls… and wolves: all regularly cross this area.
Wolves, especially, use traditional footpaths for their nocturnal movements. They prefer marked routes for faster and easier travel – and can cover up to 60 km in a single night.
The Forest Rangers of the Aosta Valley have been monitoring this area for years, using camera traps and field observations. Les Bormes is now a special wildlife observation site, where presence is invisible but constant.
Wolves are carefully tracked through:
- collection of scat for DNA analysis,
- study of predation patterns,
- listening for howling responses in a technique called wolf howling.
A wolf pack is a true family unit, with an alpha pair and their offspring. Each pack controls a territory of about 250 km². Most pups do not survive their first year (75% mortality rate). Upon adulthood, young wolves either leave in search of a mate and new territory or stay, waiting their turn to lead. Dispersing wolves may travel hundreds of kilometres – and it was through this process that wolves recolonised the Alps from the Apennines in the 1990s.
Les Bormes is a place where human stories have faded, but Nature’s tales go on – written every night, step by silent step.
If you walk quietly, with open senses, you might still catch their echo.
Because the mountain never forgets – it holds.
And to those who listen, it still speaks.
Listen to the story
Suggested activities for kids
Game: The Silence Game
Sit and be silent for 2 minutes. How many sounds can you hear? Write them down: water, birds, wind… Lie down on your stomach or sit and watch what buzzes, crawls or walks around you. Pick one animal and describe it as carefully as you can. Give it a fun name! While walking to Outre-Lève, look for footprints or signs of wild animals who’ve walked the same path as you.
Suggested activities for adults
You are walking through a forest that is precious for the wildlife of this valley.
First and foremost, we ask you to leave no trace except your footprints.
It is important not to disturb this delicate ecosystem, so essential for the movement of wildlife.
Try this gentle exercise:
Is there an animal among those shown on the panel that you feel particularly connected to, drawn by, or fascinated with? Reflect on why you feel that attraction—perhaps due to its temperament, lifestyle, appearance, or mysterious aura.
A notebook may help: jot a few notes. In the days to come, learn more about your chosen animal—its habits, seasonal behaviors, interactions with its species, and more.
Exploring these aspects might reveal something of your own interior world, as if the wild creature you chose were a mirror helping you see yourself more clearly.
Tune in, listen, explore!
