View of Aosta Valley from Côte de Gargantua Nature Reserve

The Côte de Gargantua nature reserve, known for containing the elongated spur, the "giant's little finger" (as legend has it) is located in Gressan. The spur, born from deposits of glacial origin, has stimulated popular imagination and generated the legend which gives the name of this very particular area: the Côte would be the little finger of the giant Gargantua, a character invented by Rabelais, buried under a blanket of debris.

According to the information board, the hill consists of moraine material from the glaciers of the Dora Baltea valley. A folk legend says that under the hill lies the little toe of the giant Gargantua (main protagonist of the opera Pantagruel and Gargantua, written by Rabelais around 1530). From the hill you have a beautiful view of Aosta and the Aosta Valley.