A clear cultural focus in Gilly-sur-Isère is its archaeological remains: restored sections of wall, various floor plans, heated rooms and Bronze Age finds. There are also ideas for walks and the Piscine de Gilly-sur-Isère, an indoor swimming pool with a 25-metre pool. When looking for accommodation, you can consider whether to devote your stay mainly to ancient building styles or also plan walks and a possible visit to the swimming pool.

Archaeological remains and building styles

The restored sections of wall at the Villa Gallo-Romaine du Grand Verger have been preserved and can be visited at any time. The Villa du Chef-lieu was investigated in 1975 as the first archaeological excavation project in the centre of Gilly-sur-Isère; previously unknown ancient sections of wall were uncovered in the process. At Grand Verger, the fact that the remains can be visited is a practical point of reference. For the Villa du Chef-lieu, the year of excavation, its location in the centre and the story of its discovery provide the historical context.

The Villa du Chef-lieu consisted of three sections, carefully built from stream pebbles and arranged in a U-shape around a central courtyard. The courtyard forms the centre of this layout; the U-shape describes how the three sections were arranged around it. The villa had small private baths with two rooms heated by hypocausts. Hypocausts are an ancient heating system, used here in two rooms.

A rare square floor plan, with sides measuring 35 metres, is characteristic of the Villa Gallo Romaine. Its shape and dimensions provide a concrete point of reference for understanding this architectural feature. Together with the U-shaped layout of the Villa du Chef-lieu, these details illustrate different floor plan forms.

Landscape, walks and indoor swimming pool

The buildings of the Villa Rustica de la Bévière stood on level ground near the Torrent du Chiriac. The cultivated land extended across the Plaine de Gilly. Thus, both the location of the buildings and the agricultural land are part of the spatial context of this site. The archaeological sites of Gilly-sur-Isère also include six pits containing heated stones from the Bronze Age. These are considered rare in Savoie and add finds from another period to the archaeological theme.

You can find ideas for walks in Gilly-sur-Isère through the Traces Alpines app; hiking guides are available from tourist offices. This gives you two formats for planning walks: an app and hiking guides. The Piscine de Gilly-sur-Isère is an indoor swimming pool with a 25-metre pool. If you are planning a visit, check the current opening hours beforehand.

Local highlights therefore range from ancient building structures and their landscape to ideas for walks and an indoor swimming pool.

Discover more destinations: Montmélian, Sardières, Mâcot-La-Plagne, Le Pré, Orelle, Saint-Colomban-Des-Villards, Hautecour, Thoiry.

Go to the main travel overview: Savoie.