Heritage: Valpelline

The Coumba Frèide is a narrow and deep valley connecting the city of Aosta to the Great Saint-Bernard pass. Together with the Valpelline, it forms the Comunità Montana Grand Combin, which includes 11 municipalities. Ten of these—Allein, Bionaz, Doues, Etroubles, Gignod, Ollomont, Roisan, Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses, Saint-Oyen, and Valpelline—organize annual carnivals featuring masks and characters that are nearly identical across the towns.

The origins of this tradition are lost in time, but the first historical mention of these masks in Aosta dates back to 1467. There are two main interpretations of the Coumba Frèide carnival’s roots. The first, pseudo-historical, ties the event to Napoleon’s passage through Great Saint-Bernard pass in May 1800, suggesting that the costumes are allegorical representations of soldiers’ uniforms. The second, more folkloric, claims the carnival began with the wedding of two elderly villagers. The guests, embarrassed to attend in their Sunday best, chose to dress in unusual garments instead. However, it is believed that the carnival is rooted in ancient springtime exorcisms meant to drive away evil spirits. This is supported by the presence of similar characters and symbols across the Alpine region, such as:

• The bear: representing the changing seasons and forecasting an early spring if it ends hibernation early.
• Mules' tails: symbolizing winds, used to dispel harmful air currents and invite favorable ones.
• Mirrors on costumes: believed to ward off evil spirits.
• The color red: signifying strength and vitality, also thought to exorcise misfortune and malevolent influences.

The carnival of the Great St. Bernard is especially noteworthy for combining two emblematic carnival figures: the arboreal man (represented by floral elements on hats) and the faun-like man (represented by the bear). All costumes are hand-stitched.

The carnival begins on the day after Epiphany and ends on Shrove Tuesday. The characters remain consistent every year, and their order in the parade is strictly maintained. The procession is led by a Flag Bearer or Guide, identified by glasses and a mustache, who directs the parade with a small trumpet. Following him is the musical group (two or three musicians playing the accordion and/or saxophone) and the Devil, wearing a short red cape and carrying a pitchfork to trip passersby.

Next come pairs of Damsels and Harlequins, followed by the Blacks (symbolizing long winter nights) and the Whites (heralding sunny spring days). Masked characters dressed in red carry tails to tickle the crowd. At the end of the parade are the “Toc” and “Tocca” (the two village simpletons). The “Toc” interacts playfully with onlookers, while the “Tocca” jealously reprimands him. They are trailed by the Bear and the Trainer. The bear, symbolizing fertility, chases women and children, tossing adults into the snow.

To learn more about the upcoming carnival program in Valpelline and the Grand-Saint-Bernard Valley municipalities, consult the local tourism database under the "Events" section.

Placed on the right side of the school, it was built in 1744, as engraved on the entrance door’s architrave.It was the home of the prebendary. His tasks included teaching how to read and write to the youngsters.

Situated near the parish church, this fortified house was built in the 19th century and was later expanded and reconstructed.
Birthplace of Rodolfo of Valpelline, Bishop of Zion, La Tour was the seat of the courts, the stables and the granary of the Lord.
Today it still provides evidence of its imposing structure and the original square plan of the tower. The construction consists of six cellars, sixteen rooms and a loft. On the northern side you can see a dryer for wood and an underground store that was once used for agricultural equipment.
It is said that in one of the cellars, called “l’enfeur” (“hell”), the remains of human bodies were found and shackles that were probably used to chain prisoners.

The church was built in 1722. It has three naves divided up by stone monolithic columns.

INTERESTING DETAILS:
-the stone portal with carved paneled doorway, surmounted by a wooden statute of the patron Saint Pantaleon, which took the place of the original 18th century one, which has now been restored and is housed in the small museum inside the same church.
- the main altar and the balustrades date back to the 18th century and are a gift from count Perrone, the owner of the mines of Ollomont at the time. The same count is said to have also donated the canvas above the main altar, a painting from the Flemish school showing the virgin and the saints chosen as the protectors of the parish during the various eras.
- the baptistery with the stone bath dating back to the 15th century.
- the wooden pulpit with carved panels from the 18th century
- the small museum on the right hand side of the entrance houses various objects of sacred art of significant historical value.

The bell tower, which was also built in 1722, was originally fitted with eight bells, but Napoleon Bonapart removed five of them to melt them down and transform them into cannons.

The visitors centre is a museum dedicated to Fontina, illustrating its history and production and the particular aspects of this unique DOP cheese.

The centre has two floors and an exhibition area divided into three sections:“History”, “The Environment”, “Processing” and a small space dedicated to Val d’Aosta crafts.

The video room seats 50 and you can see an exhaustive film, available in Italian, French, English and German, showing giving details of all the phases of production of Fontina.
The visit to the museum and the centre includes the spectacular Fontina seasoning rooms dug out of the rock, one of which was dug out of the ancient copper mine and where the Fontina DOP remains for 80 days and takes its sweet and inimitable taste.

The centre also has a multimedia station and a shop.

How to get there:
- from the Milan / Turin-Aosta motorway, follow the directions for Gran San Bernardo. At the exit of the tunnel continue towards Bionaz.
- from Aosta follow the signs for the Gran San Bernardo. Once in Variney continue towards Bionaz
subsequently, past the center of Valpelline, follow the signs indicating the Visitor Center on the road to Ollomont.

Over the centuries, the Alps have been a place of refuge and hospitality. During the second world war, a time of fierce racial and political persecution, the Valpelline valley was swept with a large number of people fleeing to the neutral territory of Switzerland.

The Valpelline documentation centre valorises and promotes the relations between Val d’Aosta and Switzerland in the 1943-1945 period. A photographic and document exhibition reveals the routes taken by numerous fleeing Jews and various political activists hostile to the regime. Numerous politicians in the 1943-1945 period took refuge in Switzerland during the most dangerous period of struggle against the Nazi-fascist regime. Alta Valpelline was rife with famous personalities of Val d’Aosta and Italian intellectual and political life. Luigi Einaudi, who would become President of the Italian Republic in 1948, passed through Valpelline to take refuge in Switzerland.

The exhibition is enriched with a multimedia documentary of photographs, interviews and texts taking you along the route itinerary taken by Bréan, Bougeat, Berthod, famous Valdostan activists against the Nazi-fascist regime, fleeing towards Switzerland after the arrest and death of their guide and leader, Emile Chanoux.