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STORES
Stores are open from 8:30/9:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Most close for lunch and then open again from 3:00 PM to 7:30 PM. There are small stores in downtown Aosta and large American type along the “American Strip”. The American Strip is a 4 lane highway between Aosta and Nus in Quart. Most stores are closed Monday mornings, Thursday afternoons, and Sunday,CONAD – NEW GROCERY STORE (circa 2012)
In addition to the large CarreFours and Gros Cidac grocery stores discussed in the original House Booklet, there is a new large grocery store called Conad. It is on SS226 on the right in the American Mile part of the main road to Aosta. We like it; it has easy underground parking and is less crowded than the others. DIRECTIONS: To get to the Conad store from Marsan, take SS226 towards Aosta, turn right into the driveway before the store and bear left to park in the underground parking lot.TRICK: To get to the Conad store if you are coming from the direction of downtown Aosta (i.e., heading back to the house from the West): there is a round-a-bout just before the Conad store (you can even see the store’s sign). Go around the round-a-bout and turn at the St. Christopher exit, then make an immediate right turn into the back/side of the commercial area and go around the back and left of the stores to get to the underground parking entrance. Otherwise, there’s not left turn into Conad and it’s a long way to the next round-a-bout where you could turn around in order to enter Conad from the front entrance
Grocery Bags: Bring some of the Conad grocery bags (in the kitchen drawer) and the “Self” multi-color tote bag (and/or the blue canvas bag) to use to bring the groceries home wherever you buy them (large or small stores).
Plastic Bags: It costs at least 10c a bag to buy bags at most stores; they are under the check out conveyor and you guess how many you need to purchase for your groceries for that trip.
Fruits and Veggies NOTE: You must use the plastic gloves to pick up all fruit and vegetables and touching lots of them is frowned upon. Weigh your own bag and put the sticky label on it before going to the checkout counter.
Grocery Basket NOTE: The grocery baskets work with a coin system at all the large grocery stores. Put a 50cent or 1 euro coin in the slot on the handle of the basket and the coin will push out the “key” on the other side of the slot, thereby releasing the basket. When you return the basket to any stack of baskets, your coin will be pushed out when you put in the key re-locking the basket to the others. Cool, easy and smart.
Bread – the local fresh-baked bread is the best, but it doesn’t last more than a day. The Deli across from Despars grocery in Nus has very good fresh bread of all types plus rolls, croissants, donuts in the morning. For sandwich bread, we discovered that the pre-baked bread in packages like ours that we found at Conad is quite good and stays fresh. It can be found in the aisle near the packaged crackers.
GROCERY STORES
Most grocery stores ( alimentari) have the same hours as the other stores.
In Nus
DESPAR - on the east end of main street
This is a chain, but there is a small one in Nus that can supply you with about
everything you need.
ANGOLO DEL PANE DI MIMMO E TANINA - cheese and take out across from Despar.
Big American Style Grocery Stores
GROS CIDAC - Via Paravera, 4
Recently remodled and now huge! It opens ay 8:30 and closes about 7:15
PM. It is closed Monday morings and Sundays. It has everything including
a dried meat area, cheese counters, a large wine selection, books, hardware and clothing. This is a store with a fantastic European selection.
CONTI - 72 reg. Sogno (St Christopher)
Closed Monday mornings. Good selection, good prices, and less chaotic than Gros Cidac. Long lines on Saturday. The most American grocery in the Aosta area.
MEGA - Another huge warehouse with a very good fruit and vegetale department. You can buy things by the crate for a discount price. There is a good butcher within the store and a fresh pasta area with the most outrageous gnocchi. You must take a number for the butcher, which can take 40 minutes. Products are from all parts of Europe. You can use a Visa, but you pay the butcher and fresh pasta shop separately.
STANDA - 5. Corso Battaglione, 10 via Festaz
There are two locations. The newer one is at Corso Battaglione, west of the
center area of Aosta, and does not close for lunch. (orario continuato). There
is the great benefit of parking above the store. The top floor, as you enter,
sells clothes, make-up, music, etc.. The downstairs is a grocery store. The
selection is not as large as the aforementioned stores, but there is a cheese
and cold cut department as well as a bakery. Shopping between 12:30 and
3:00 PM is a tranquil joy.
VALDRINK - In Sarre on a state road (s.s.) on the left toward Courmayeur
This wonderful discovery is open on Sunday! It is more expensive but a
Godsend. It use to be a wine shop and still carries an excellent selection at
better prices than some wine shops.
SMALL SHOPS
These are separate shops for cheese, bread, fish, chicken, meat, vegetables, etc.. Strolling through the old walking streets is of course the perfered Italian style to shop. Here are a list of favorites solely for your information because each person will discover their favorites. The recommended stores have provided much comfort, smiles, and personal attention which make patronizing them a social occasion unlike the big supermarkets.
CHEESE
Borney Fontina - 2 via de Sales (next to the Catheral) - best selection of Toma, low fat local cheeses, Camoscana, a wonderful blue cheese, and Valle d’Aosta cheese which is exactly like Fontina but doesn’t weigh the same so they can’t charge the same.
Casa de Parmigianna - 84 Croix de ville
They have great prices and selection.
BREAD
Fra Marin Leone - 24 via de Tillier
Our best friends! Best whole wheat bread in town ( Pane Nero)
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