Veyras: Art, Wine Culture and Village History

In Veyras, art history, winemaking and routes through the village and vineyards come together. The Musée Charles-Clos Olsommer, the Flânerie des Artistes and the wine trails offer different ways to shape your stay: from Olsommer’s work and artists’ life stories to information about wine-growing villages and cultivation techniques.

Art and Artists’ Stories in Veyras

The Musée Charles-Clos Olsommer is housed in the home and studio that Charles Clos Olsommer built in 1912 and that has been used as a museum since 1991. The museum presents the many facets of his work, spanning Symbolism, Art Nouveau and his personal artistic explorations. In the garden, a contemplative path passes reading stations based on Olsommer’s personal notebooks.

The Flânerie des Artistes introduces visitors to the lives of six artists who lived in the village during the 20th century, along an educational route through Veyras. The trail is just over two kilometres long and can be completed on foot or by bicycle. Veyras is also known as a village where numerous artists spent time, including the painter Charles Clos Olsommer and the poet Rainer Maria Rilke. The museum complements the village tour with public guided tours; private visits can be arranged. The program also includes educational activities for children.

Trails Between the Village and Vineyards

If you want to compare trails by length and theme, the routes described offer different points of reference. The marked Sentier viticole is six kilometres long and features 80 information panels about wine-growing villages and winemaking techniques. It reaches Veyras after passing through Muraz.

By contrast, the Tour des villages de la Noble-Contrée is a circular hike that starts in Veyras and explores three villages. From the starting point, the route passes through the old village and then climbs towards the vineyards. This gives you a choice between a trail with panels about wine-growing culture and a circular hike through villages and vineyards; no walking time is specified for these routes.

Wine Culture and Regional Specialities

In Veyras, In Vino Veritas is based. The organisation promotes local wine culture through events centred on the Sierre wine-growing region and the Sentier viticole. Each year, it also organises the Marche des Cépages, a wine-tourism hike through the vineyards. In the wine cellars of the three villages, you can discover regional specialities from the Noble-Contrée.

Art also comes together with wine and gastronomy at the Musée C.C. Olsommer. Themed tours are available by prior arrangement for groups of eight or more and can be combined with a tasting of three specialities from the Veyras vineyards. The museum also offers a tasting of regional wines as part of an art and gastronomy visit. Confirm the arrangements for your visit before travelling. In the surroundings of Veyras, in the village of Miège, the Espace Terroirs has a wine library with regional wines as well as local products such as cheese, bacon and dried meat.

Music Events and Architectural History

The Tohu-Bohu Festival is an open-air music festival held every year in early September at Terrain des Crêtes in Veyras. Its first edition took place in September 2005; dates may vary from one edition to another. The Fondation Rilke holds an annual concert in the Chapelle de Muzot to mark Rilke’s birthday. If you want to plan your trip around one of these events, check the dates for the relevant edition.

The church in Veyras, dedicated to Saint Francis, was built in 1947/48 in the Neo-Gothic style. Its features include frescoes, murals, stained-glass windows and a sculpted Stations of the Cross. The church is used for major celebrations. The nearby chapel continues to serve primarily as a venue for weekday Masses and as a crypt for funeral services; these parish uses may change.

Discover more destinations: Anniviers, Grône, Icogne, Miège, Saint-Jean Vs, Lens, Crans-Montana, Chalais Vs.

For the broader travel overview: Sierre.