Veyras

Together with its neighbours Venthône and Miège, Veyras forms the Noble-Contrée ('Noble Country'), a municipality located above Sierre. It is a village built on a south-facing plateau, ideal for growing vines, which has inspired many artists and delights the taste buds of lovers of fine wines.

This small village of 1,700 inhabitants was a favourite haunt of Austrian writer Rainer Maria Rilke, Neuchâtel painter Charles-Clos Olsommer and Valais writers Maurice Chappaz and Corinna Bille.

Every year since 2005, Veyras has played host to Tohu-Bohu, an open-air music festival held at the beginning of September. This festival on a human scale welcomes internationally renowned artists in an idyllic and intimate setting, on a stage worthy of the biggest festivals.

Just outside the village, the medieval tower of Muzot, a replica of the Castle of Venthône, can be seen in the distance. It was in this 13th-century building that Rainer-Maria Rilke spent the last years of his life. Unfortunately, the tower is privately owned and cannot be visited.

Above the Church of Veyras, next to the pretty baroque chapel of Saint François built in 1676, is the Olsommer Museum, hosted in the house built by Neuchâtel painter Charles Clos Olsommer. At the time of our visit in September 2023, the museum was being renovated, with reopening scheduled for February 24, 2024.