Along the left bank of the River Dora, between the mountains of the Aosta Valley, a few crumbled houses catch the eye. This is the abandoned village of Barmaz, located on a mountainside near the town of Saint-Denis.

The area was inhabited for centuries, but the oldest structures still standing in Barmaz date back to the 16th to 17th-century. The villages survived off agriculture, surrounded by rye fields, terraced vineyards, and pastures for grazing cattle. But despite its optimal position for agriculture, the village was never connected to a water system, a sewerage network, or a power supply. The village can still only be reached by walking along a farm road.

Due to its remote location and the harsh mountain life of Barmaz, the village was progressively abandoned during the early to mid-20th-century. The structures that once housed the last stoic inhabitants of Barmaz are now in ruins, while some retain their original and unique appearance.