Aosta Valley

The Aosta Valley is an Alpine valley which, with its tributary valleys, includes the Italian slopes of Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso and the Matterhorn; its highest peak is Mont Blanc (4,810 m or 15,780 ft). This makes it the highest region in Italy, according to the list of Italian regions by highest point.

Early inhabitants of the Aosta Valley were Celts and Ligures, whose language heritage remains in some local placenames. Rome conquered the region from the local Salassi 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".^[13]

In 1031–1032, Humbert I of Savoy, the founder of the House of Savoy, received the title Count of Aosta from Emperor Conrad II of the Franconian 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 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 to tie Aosta more closely to Piedmont, but which were again demanded during post-Napoleonic times. In the mid-13th century, Emperor Frederick II made the County of Aosta a duchy (see Duke of Aosta), and its arms charged with a lion rampant were carried in the Savoy arms until the reunification of Italy in 1870.^[14]

The region remained part of Savoy lands, with the exceptions of French occupations from 1539 to 1563, later in 1691, and then between 1704 and 1706. It was also ruled by the First French Empire between 1800 and 1814. During French rule, it was part of Aoste arrondissement in Doire department.^[15] As part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, it joined the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

French forces briefly controlled the area at the end of World War II, but withdrew under British and American pressure.^[16] The region gained special autonomous status after the end of World War II; the province of Aosta ceased to exist in 1945.^[9]

For decades, the valley has been dominated by autonomist regional parties such as the Valdostan Union, which represents the interests of the French-speaking population.^[17] The latest regional election was held in September 2020. On 2 March 2023, Renzo Testolin was elected regional president, supported by a coalition of autonomist and progressive lists.^[18]

The Aosta Valley, being the smallest region of Italy by area, is not divided into provinces. Nevertheless, it is still divided into 74 comunes namely:

View of Bard (left) and typical Alpine houses in Valtournenche (right)

More information Nationality, Population ...

The largest resident foreign-born
groups on 31 December 2019^[19]

Nationality	Population
Romania	2,361
Morocco	1,553
Albania	695
China	298
Ukraine	272
Tunisia	261
Dominican Republic	235
France	220
Moldova	179
Algeria	160
Poland	144
United Kingdom	105
Nigeria	102

Close

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.

Negative natural population growth since 1976 has been more than offset by immigration. The region has one of Italy's lowest birth rates, 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.^[4] Between 2001 and 2011, the population of Aosta Valley grew by a further 7.07%. As of 2006^[update], 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.^[20]

The economy of the Aosta Valley is based above all on the tertiary sector, in particular on tourism. Due to the autonomy conferred by the special statute, the public sector, which administers most of the regional financial resources, plays a role of primary importance in the Aosta Valley economy. The industries are concentrated in the lower valley (between Verrès-Champdepraz and Pont-Saint-Martin) and are often small to medium sized. However, the contribution of agriculture and livestock to the regional economy is modest. Potatoes, apples, vines, barley are grown and cattle are raised. The artisanal production is significant, in which wooden sculpture emerges.

Aosta Valley has many small and picturesque villages, three of them have been selected by I Borghi più belli d'Italia (English: The most beautiful Villages of Italy),^[21] a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest,^[22] that was founded on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities.^[23] These villages are:^[24]

• Bard
• Fontainemore
• Etroubles

Notable wines include two white wines from Morgex (Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle and Chaudelune), a red wine blend from Arvier (Enfer d'Arvier) and one from Gamay.^[25] The Valle d'Aosta DOC (or Vallée d'Aoste DOC, in French^[26]) is an Italian denominazione di origine controllata located in the Aosta Valley of north-west Italy. Surrounded by the Alps, the Valle d'Aosta is home to the highest elevated vineyards in all of Europe. The principal winemaking region of the Valle d'Aosta is found along the eastern banks of the Dora Baltea (fr., Doire baltée) river with the city of Aosta serving as the central winemaking location. The region is divided into three main vineyard areas; the upper valley, Valdigne, the central valley (locally Valle centrale in Italian, Vallée centrale in French) and the lower valley, (locally Bassa valle in Italian, Basse vallée in French).

The Autostrada A5 in Aosta Valley near Bard (left) and the Chivasso–Ivrea–Aosta railway in Verrès (right)

The main road axes arise in the valley floor. They are the Aosta Valley state road 26 and the Autostrada A5 (Turin-Aosta-Mont Blanc Tunnel). The Mont Blanc Tunnel connects Courmayeur to Chamonix, France. The Great Saint Bernard Pass connects Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses with Martigny in Switzerland, while the Little Saint Bernard Pass connects the La Thuile valley with the Isère valley and the municipality of Bourg-Saint-Maurice, in France.

The railway line is the Chivasso–Ivrea–Aosta railway, currently undergoing modernization works, the railway service, therefore, will be carried out from January 2024 with replacement buses. The region's airport is the Aosta Valley Airport, in Saint-Christophe.

• 
  The prehistoric site near Chenal castle, Montjovet, rich in petroglyphs
• 
  A view from refuge Albert Deffeyes, La Thuile
• 
  Male Alpine Ibex in Gran Paradiso National Park
• 
  Alpine marmot in Gran Paradiso National Park

• Alps-Mediterranean Euroregion
• Arch of Augustus in Aosta
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Aosta
• Elections in Aosta Valley
• Bard Fort – Museum of the Alps
• Gran Paradiso National Park
• List of presidents of Aosta Valley
• Mont Blanc
• Mont Blanc Tunnel
• Roman bridge Pont d'Aël
• Refuge Grand Tournalin
• Roman Theatre, Aosta