The arcaded buildings on Piazza Chanoux shelter several cafés that serve as the social centre of Aosta through the day and into the evening. In the morning the clientele is local — office workers, tradespeople, and shoppers stopping for an espresso at the bar before continuing their day. By late morning the first tourists arrive, and by aperitivo hour (from around 6pm) the outdoor tables facing the square fill with a mixed crowd.
The Aosta version of aperitivo tends toward the simple end of the Italian tradition: a glass of local wine or a Spritz, accompanied by olives, small sandwiches, and perhaps a thin slice of Fontina. The square itself is enclosed on three sides by 18th and 19th century arcaded buildings, with the municipal palace on the fourth side; on clear days the mountains are visible in multiple directions. In winter, when the Christmas market occupies the square, the cafés extend their hours and the atmosphere shifts considerably — mulled wine (vin brûlé) replaces Spritz, and the pace of the city slows to a comfortable alpine idle.