Aosta Valley
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OR:

, Valdostan or Valdotainian
it, Valdostano (man)
it, Valdostana (woman)
french: Valdôtain (man)
french: Valdôtaine (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = Official languages , population_blank1 =
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

French , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demographics1_info1 = 95% , demographics1_title2 = , demographics1_info2 = , demographics1_title3 = , demographics1_info3 = , timezone1 =
CET CET or cet may refer to: Places * Cet, Albania * Cet, standard astronomical abbreviation for the constellation Cetus * Colchester Town railway station (National Rail code CET), in Colchester, England Arts, entertainment, and media * Comcast En ...
, utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST =
CEST CEST or cest may refer to: * Central European Summer Time (UTC+2), daylight saving time observed in the central European time zone * Cognitive-Experiential Self-Theory * Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer, a subset of Magnetization transfer in ...
, utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code_type = ISO 3166 code , area_code = IT-23 , blank_name_sec1 =
GDP (nominal) Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is ofte ...
, blank_info_sec1 = €4.9 billion (2018) , blank1_name_sec1 = GDP per capita , blank1_info_sec1 = €38,900 (2018) , blank2_name_sec1 =
HDI The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistic composite index of life expectancy, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income indicators, wh ...
(2018) , blank2_info_sec1 = 0.877
· 14th of 21 , blank_name_sec2 = NUTS Region , blank_info_sec2 = ITC , website
Regione.vda.it
, footnotes = The Aosta Valley ( it, Valle d'Aosta (official) or (usual); french: Vallée d'Aoste ; frp, Val d'Outa; wae, Augschtalann or ; pms, Val d'Osta) is a mountainous
autonomous region An autonomous administrative division (also referred to as an autonomous area, entity, unit, region, subdivision, or territory) is a subnational administrative division or internal territory of a sovereign state that has a degree of autonomy ...
in northwestern
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. It is bordered by
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA; ; frp, Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Ârpes; oc, Auvèrnhe Ròse Aups; it, Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi) is a region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Au ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, to the west,
Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, to the north, and by
Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
, Italy, to the south and east. The regional capital is
Aosta Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of ...
. Covering an area of and with a population of about 128,000 it is the smallest, least populous, and least densely populated region of Italy. The province of Aosta having been dissolved in 1945, the Aosta Valley region was the first
region of Italy The regions of Italy ( it, regioni d'Italia) are the first-level administrative divisions of the Italian Republic, constituting its second NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, five of which have higher autonomy than the rest. U ...
to abolish provincial subdivisions. Provincial administrative functions are provided by the regional government. The region is divided into 74 ''
comuni The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' (french: communes). The official languages are
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
and French, though the native population also speak Valdôtain, a dialect of
Franco-Provençal Franco-Provençal (also Francoprovençal, Patois or Arpitan) is a language within Gallo-Romance originally spoken in east-central France, western Switzerland and northwestern Italy. Franco-Provençal has several distinct dialects and is separ ...
. Italian is spoken as a mother tongue by 77.29% of population, Valdôtain by 17.91%, and French by 1.25%. In 2009, reportedly 50.53% of the population could speak all three languages.


Geography

The Aosta Valley is an Alpine valley which, with its tributary valleys, includes the Italian slopes of
Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and i ...
,
Monte Rosa : , other_name = Monte Rosa massif , translation = Mount Rose , photo = Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa) and Monte Rosa Glacier as seen from Gornergrat, Wallis, Switzerland, 2012 August.jpg , photo_caption = Central Mon ...
,
Gran Paradiso , photo = Gran_Paradiso.jpg , photo_caption = The Gran Paradiso , elevation_m = 4061 , elevation_ref =Geoportale IGM owww.pcn.minambiente.it/ref> , prominence_m = 1879 , prominence_ref = , range = Graian Alps , parent_peak = , listing ...
and the
Matterhorn The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...
; its highest peak is
Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and i ...
(). This makes it the highest region in Italy, according to the
list of Italian regions by highest point This is a list of Italian regions by highest point. There are 20 regions, but in one case (Serra Dolcedorme) the highest point is shared between two of them ( Basilicata and Calabria''Serra Dolcedorme, Italy'', page owww.peakbagger.comaccessed on ...
.


Climate

The valleys, usually above , annually have a Cold
Continental Climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...
(''Dfc''). In this climate, the snow season is very long, as long as 8 or 9 months at the highest points. During the summer, mist occurs almost every day. These areas are the wettest in the western Alps. Temperatures in January are low, between and , and in July are between and . In this area is the town of
Rhêmes-Notre-Dame Rhêmes-Notre-Dame ( Valdôtain: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Aosta Valley region of north-west Italy. Geography Rhemes-Notre-Dame is a mountain village located in the upper Rhêmes valley. It is part of Gran Paradiso National Park. It is ...
, which may be the coldest town in the Western Alps and where the winter average temperature is around . Areas between usually have a
Tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless mou ...
Climate ( ET), where every month has an average temperature below . This climate may be either a kind of more severe Cold Oceanic Climate, with a low summer average but mild winters, sometimes above , especially near lakes, or a more severe Cold Continental Climate, with a very low winter average. Temperature averages in
Plateau Rosa The Theodul Glacier (also spelled ''Theodule Glacier''; german: Theodulgletscher, french: Glacier du Théodule, it, Ghiacciaio del Teodulo) is a glacier of the Alps, located south of Zermatt in the canton of Valais. It lies on the Swiss side of ...
, at high, are in January and in July. It is the coldest place in Italy where the climate is verifiable. In the past, above , all months had an average temperature below freezing, with a Perpetual Frost Climate (EF). In recent years, however, there has been a rise in temperatures. See, as an example, the data for Plateau Rosa. File:Mont Blanc, Mont Maudit, Mont Blanc du Tacul.jpg,
Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and i ...
File:Cervino dal Lac Bleu.jpg, Blue Lake and the
Matterhorn The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...
File:Castor - Monte Castore.jpg, Mount Castor


History

The first inhabitants of the Aosta Valley were
Celts The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancien ...
and
Ligures The Ligures (singular Ligur; Italian: liguri; English: Ligurians) were an ancient people after whom Liguria, a region of present-day north-western Italy, is named. Ancient Liguria corresponded more or less to the current Italian regi ...
, whose
language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...
heritage remains in some local placenames. Rome conquered the region from the local
Salassi The Salassi or Salasses were a Gallic or Ligurian tribe dwelling in the upper valley of the Dora Baltea river, near present-day Aosta (Val d'Aosta), during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''dià Salassō̃n'' (δ ...
around 25 BC and founded ''Augusta Prætoria Salassorum'' (modern-day Aosta) to secure the strategic mountain passes, and they went on to build bridges and roads through the mountains. Thus, the name ''Valle d'Aosta'' literally means "Valley of Augustus". In 1031–1032,
Humbert I of Savoy Humbert I ( it, Umberto I; 950 – 1042 or 1047  1048), better known as Humbert the White-Handed (french: Humbert aux blanches-mains) or ( it, Umberto Biancamano), was the founder of the House of Savoy. Of obscure origins, his service ...
, the founder of the
House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...
, received the title ''Count of Aosta'' from Emperor
Conrad II Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...
of the
Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper Fr ...
n line and built himself a commanding fortification at Bard. Saint Anselm of Canterbury was born in Aosta in 1033 or 1034. The region was divided among strongly fortified castles, and in 1191,
Thomas I of Savoy Thomas Ι (''Tommaso I''; c. 1178 – 1 March 1233) was Count of Savoy from 1189 to 1233. He is sometimes numbered "Thomas I" to distinguish him from his son of the same name. His long reign marked a decisive period in the history of Savoy. Bi ...
found it necessary to grant to the communes a ''Charte des franchises'' ("Charter of Liberties") which preserved autonomy—rights that were fiercely defended until 1770, when they were revoked in order to tie Aosta more closely to
Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
, but which were again demanded during post-Napoleonic times. In the mid-13th century, Emperor Frederick II made the County of Aosta a
duchy A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a Middle Ages, medieval country, territory, fiefdom, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or Queen regnant, queen in Western European tradition. There once exis ...
(see
Duke of Aosta Duke of Aosta ( it, Duca d'Aosta; french: Duc d'Aoste) was a title in the Italian nobility. It was established in the 13th century when Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, made the County of Aosta a duchy. The region was part of the Savoyard s ...
), and its arms charged with a lion rampant were carried in the Savoy arms until the reunification of Italy in 1870. The region remained part of Savoy lands, with the exceptions of French occupations from 1539 to 1563, later in 1691, then between 1704 and 1706. It was also ruled by the
First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...
between 1800 and 1814. During French rule, it was part of Aoste
arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements' ...
in Doire department.Almanach Impérial an bissextil MDCCCXII
pp. 392–393, accessed in Gallica 18 February 2015
As part of the
Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...
, it joined the new
Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...
in 1861. French forces briefly controlled the area at the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, but withdrew under
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
and
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
pressure. The region gained special autonomous status after the end of World War II; the province of Aosta ceased to exist in 1945.


Government and politics

For decades, the valley has been dominated by autonomist regional parties such as the
Valdostan Union The Valdostan Union (french: Union valdôtaine, UV), also Valdostian Union or Valdotanian Union is a regionalist and centrist political party in Aosta Valley, Italy. It represents mainly the Arpitan-speaking minority in the region. Former lead ...
, which represents the interests of the French-speaking population. The last regional election was held in September 2020. On 15 October 2020,
Erik Lavévaz Erik Lavévaz (born 15 February 1980) is an Italian politician and entrepreneur. He became the president of Aosta Valley on 21 October 2020, after being president of Valdostan Union The Valdostan Union (french: Union valdôtaine, UV), also Vald ...
of the
Valdostan Union The Valdostan Union (french: Union valdôtaine, UV), also Valdostian Union or Valdotanian Union is a regionalist and centrist political party in Aosta Valley, Italy. It represents mainly the Arpitan-speaking minority in the region. Former lead ...
was elected president by the region's cabinet.


Demographics

The population density of Aosta Valley is by far the lowest of the Italian regions. In 2008, 38.9 inhabitants per km2 were registered in the region, whereas the average national figure was 198.8, though the region has extensive uninhabitable areas of mountain and glacier, with a substantial part of the population living in the central valley. Migration from tributary valleys has now been stemmed by generous regional support for agriculture and tourist development. Negative
natural population growth Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
since 1976 has been more than offset by immigration. The region has one of Italy's lowest
birth rate The birth rate for a given period is the total number of live human births per 1,000 population divided by the length of the period in years. The number of live births is normally taken from a universal registration system for births; populati ...
s, with a rising average age. This, too, is partly compensated by immigration, since most immigrants arriving in the region are younger people working in the tourist industry. Between 1991 and 2001, the population of Aosta Valley grew by 3.1%, which is the highest growth among the Italian regions. With a negative natural population growth, this is due exclusively to positive net migration. Between 2001 and 2011, the population of Aosta Valley grew by a further 7.07%. , the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) estimated that 4,976 foreign-born immigrants live in Aosta Valley, equal to 4.0% of the total regional population. The Valdôtain population and their language dialects have been the subject of some sociological research.


Culture


Languages

The Aosta Valley was the first government authority to adopt Modern French as the official language in 1536, three years before
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
itself. Since 1946, Italian and French are the region's
official language An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...
s and are used for the regional government's acts and laws, though Italian is much more widely spoken in everyday life, and French is mostly spoken in cultural life. Education is conducted evenly in French and Italian, so that anyone who has gone to school in the Aosta Valley can speak French to at least a medium-high level. The
regional language * A regional language is a language spoken in a region of a sovereign state, whether it be a small area, a federated state or province or some wider area. Internationally, for the purposes of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Lan ...
, known as '' patoué valdotèn'' or simply ''patoué'' (''patois valdôtain'' in French), is a dialectal variety of
Franco-Provençal Franco-Provençal (also Francoprovençal, Patois or Arpitan) is a language within Gallo-Romance originally spoken in east-central France, western Switzerland and northwestern Italy. Franco-Provençal has several distinct dialects and is separ ...
. It is spoken as a
native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...
and
second language A person's second language, or L2, is a language that is not the native language (first language or L1) of the speaker, but is learned later. A second language may be a neighbouring language, another language of the speaker's home country, or a fo ...
by 68,000 residents, or about 58% of the population according to a sociolinguistic survey carried out by the ''Fondation Émile Chanoux'' in 2001. The survey found out that the Italian language was spoken as a mother tongue by 77.29% of respondents, Franco-Provençal by 17.91%, while French by 1.25%. The residents of the villages of
Gressoney-Saint-Jean Gressoney-Saint-Jean (Gressoney wae, Greschòney Zer Chilchu; frp, Gressonèy-Sèn-Dzan; german: Kressenau Sankt Johann) is a town and ''comune'' in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy. Geography The town is situated in a valley forme ...
,
Gressoney-La-Trinité Gressoney-La-Trinité (Gressoney wae, Greschòney Drifaltigkeit or ; frp, Gressonèy-La-Trinità) is a town or '' commune'' and renowned alpine resort at the foot of Monte Rosa in the Val de Gressoney, which is part of the Aosta Valley region of ...
and
Issime Issime ( Issime wae, Éischeme; german: Einsimmen; Valdôtain: (locally )Obsolete. Recent works in German indicate the official French name only - cfLiederbuch von Gressoney und Issime and Peter Zürrer, ''Sprachkontakt in Walser Dialekten: Gre ...
, in the
Lys Valley Lys or LYS may refer to: Places *Les Lys, a Premier cru vineyard in Chablis * Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport, France (by IATA code) * Lys (department), a ''département'' during the First French Empire, now in Belgium * Lys (Dora Baltea), a stream ...
, speak two dialects of
Walser German Walser German (german: Walserdeutsch) and Walliser German (, locally ) are a group of Highest Alemannic dialects spoken in parts of Switzerland (Valais, Ticino, Grisons), Italy (Piedmont, Aosta Valley), Liechtenstein (Triesenberg, Planken), and ...
, Titsch and
Töitschu Walser German (german: Walserdeutsch) and Walliser German (, locally ) are a group of Highest Alemannic dialects spoken in parts of Switzerland (Valais, Ticino, Grisons), Italy (Piedmont, Aosta Valley), Liechtenstein (Triesenberg, Planken), and ...
, respectively. According to the survey,
Walser German Walser German (german: Walserdeutsch) and Walliser German (, locally ) are a group of Highest Alemannic dialects spoken in parts of Switzerland (Valais, Ticino, Grisons), Italy (Piedmont, Aosta Valley), Liechtenstein (Triesenberg, Planken), and ...
was spoken as a mother tongue by 207 people, or 17.78%, in these three villages. Nevertheless, it was known to 56.38% of the population.


Castles

There are numerous medieval castles and fortified houses in the Aosta Valley, including Châtel-Argent,
Saint-Pierre Castle Saint-Pierre Castle ( it, Castello di Saint-Pierre, french: Château de Saint-Pierre) is a late 12th century castle located at Saint-Pierre, Aosta Valley, Saint-Pierre in the Aosta Valley, Italy. Early history The first records of the castle da ...
,
Fénis Castle Fénis Castle ( it, Castello di Fénis, french: Château de Fénis) is an Italian medieval castle located in the town of Fénis. It is one of the most famous castles in Aosta Valley, and for its architecture and its many towers and battlemente ...
,
Issogne Castle Issogne Castle is a castle in Issogne, in lower Aosta Valley, in northwestern Italy. It is one of the most famous manors of the region, and is located on the right bank of the Dora Baltea at the centre of the inhabited area of Issogne. As a s ...
,
Ussel Castle Ussel may refer to: France * Ussel, Cantal * Ussel, Corrèze ** Ussel station * Ussel, Lot * Ussel-d'Allier, Allier * Arrondissement of Ussel, Corrèze * Canton of Ussel, Corrèze * Ussel, part of Le Brignon, Haute-Loire * Ussel, part of Vensat, ...
,
Sarre Castle Sarre can refer to: * Saarland or , a German state * Sarre (département), a former French département, now part of Germany * Sarre, Aosta Valley, a town in Italy * Sarre, Kent, a village in the United Kingdom * Sarre river or Saar, a river in F ...
,
Cly Castle Cly is a castle in the Italian town of Saint-Denis, overlooking the Dora Baltea (french: Doire baltée) river, in Aosta Valley, northwest Italy. It belongs to the so-called primitive style of castle, consisting of a keep with a surrounding wall. ...
,
Verrès Castle Verrès Castle ( it, Castello di Verrès, french: Château de Verrès) is a fortified 14th-century castle in Verrès, in the lower Aosta Valley, in north-western Italy. It has been called one of the most impressive buildings from the Middle Age ...
, and Châtelard Castle.Massetti, E
"Aosta Valley Castles"
n.d., accessed 15 March 2014.
Savoy Castle in
Gressoney-Saint-Jean Gressoney-Saint-Jean (Gressoney wae, Greschòney Zer Chilchu; frp, Gressonèy-Sèn-Dzan; german: Kressenau Sankt Johann) is a town and ''comune'' in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy. Geography The town is situated in a valley forme ...
was conceived in the 19th century and completed in 1904. Since 1990, it has also been home to the Savoy Castle Alpine Botanical Garden.


Cuisine

The cuisine of Aosta Valley is characterized by simplicity and revolves around "robust" ingredients such as
potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...
es, polenta;
cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...
and
meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...
; and
rye bread Rye bread is a type of bread made with various proportions of flour from rye grain. It can be light or dark in color, depending on the type of flour used and the addition of coloring agents, and is typically denser than bread made from whea ...
. Many of the dishes involve Fontina, a cheese with PDO status, made from cow's milk that originates from the valley. It is found in dishes such as the soup ''à la vâpeuleunèntse'' ( Valpelline Soup). Other cheeses made in the region are Tomme de Gressoney and Seras. Fromadzo ( Valdôtain for ''cheese'') has been produced locally since the 15th century and also has PDO status. Regional specialities, besides Fontina, are ''Motzetta'' (dried chamois meat),
Vallée d'Aoste Lard d'Arnad Vallée d’Aoste Lard d’Arnad (PDO) is a variety of '' lardo'' (a cured pork product) produced exclusively within the municipal boundaries of the commune of Arnad in lower Aosta Valley, Italy. It was awarded European Union protected designati ...
(a cured and brined
fatback Fatback (also known as streak of lean or streak of fat) is a cut of meat from a domestic pig. It consists of the layer of adipose tissue (subcutaneous fat) under the skin of the back, with or without the skin (pork rind). Fatback is "hard fa ...
product with PDO designation), Vallée d'Aoste Jambon de Bosses (a kind of
ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...
, likewise with PDO designation), a dark bread made with rye, and honey. Notable dishes include ''Carbonnade'', similar to the Belgian dish of the same name consisting of salt-cured beef cooked with onions and red wine served with polenta; breaded veal cutlets called ''costolette''; ''teuteuns'', salt-cured cow's
udder An udder is an organ formed of two or four mammary glands on the females of dairy animals and ruminants such as cattle, goats, and sheep. An udder is equivalent to the breast in primates and elephantine pachyderms. The udder is a single mass han ...
that is cooked and sliced; and ''steak à la valdôtaine'', a steak with croûtons, ham and melted cheese.


Wine growing

Notable wines include two white wines from
Morgex Morgex ( Valdôtain: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the mid ...
(''Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle'' and ''Chaudelune''), a red wine blend from Arvier (''Enfer d'Arvier'') and one from
Gamay Gamay is a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais and in the Loire Valley around Tours. Its full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. It is a very old cultivar, mentioned as long ago as the 15th centu ...
.


Gallery

File:Sito archeologico di Chenal 1120484.JPG, The prehistoric site near Chenal castle,
Montjovet Montjovet ( Valdôtain: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy. Montjovet lies in the lower Aosta Valley, between France and Switzerland. Though it only has an area of 18.7 square kilometers, the commune has ...
, rich in petroglyphs File:La Thuile-Rifugio Deffeyes 2.jpg, A view from refuge Albert Deffeyes, La Thuile File:Capra ibex gran paradiso.jpg, Male Alpine Ibex in Gran Paradiso National Park File:Marmotta alpina (Marmota marmota).jpg, Alpine marmot in Gran Paradiso National Park


See also

* Alps-Mediterranean Euroregion * Arch of Augustus in Aosta *
Roman Catholic Diocese of Aosta french: Diocèse d'Aoste , image = Aosta Cattedrale.JPG , image_size = 255px , image_alt = Facade of Cathedral of Aosta , caption = Aosta Cathedral , country = Italy , metropolitan = , ...
*
Elections in Aosta Valley This page gathers the results of elections in Aosta Valley. Regional elections Latest regional election List of previous regional elections * 1949 Valdostan regional election * 1954 Valdostan regional election *1959 Valdostan regional electio ...
* Fort Bard—Museum of the Alps * Gran Paradiso National Park *
List of presidents of Aosta Valley This is the list of presidents of Aosta Valley since 1946. ''SourceRegional Government of Aosta Valley – Governments since 1946' {{DEFAULTSORT:Presidents of Aosta Valley Politics of Aosta Valley Aosta Valley , Valdostan or Valdotain ...
*
Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and i ...
*
Mont Blanc Tunnel The Mont Blanc Tunnel is a highway tunnel between France and Italy, under the Mont Blanc mountain in the Alps. It links Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France with Courmayeur, Aosta Valley, Italy, via the French Route Nationale 205 and the Italian T ...
* Roman bridge Pont d'Aël * Refuge Grand Tournalin * Roman Theatre, Aosta * 13th-century bridge of Grand Arvou


References


Sources

* * * * *


External links


Website of the Aosta Valley Regional Authority
(in Italian and French) *
Photo gallery of the Aosta Valley
*
Weather forecast and map of the Aosta Valley


at mondimedievali.net {{Authority control Autonomous regions of Italy Arpitania Provinces of Italy Regions of Italy Valleys of Italy Valleys of the Alps Castles in Aosta Valley French-speaking countries and territories NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union Regions of Europe with multiple official languages Wine regions of Italy