By:Samuel CabbuagItalian 11 - THW

Geography The Aosta Valley is an

Alpine valley which with its tributary valleys includes the Italian slopes of Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn; its highest peak is Mont Blanc.

It is bordered by Rhône-Alpes, France to the west, Valais, Switzerland to the north and the region of Piedmont to the south and east.

Demography The Valle d'Aosta is the smallest region

in Italy with 120,000 inhabitants and is "set" in the Alpine mountain range, surrounded by some of the highest mountains in Europe (often described as the “four 4000s”). The regional capital is Aosta, originally called Augusta Pretoria and founded in 25 A.C. under the Roman Empire

Bilingualism (French and Italian)almost all place names and local surnames

are French in origin.

Certain Valdostane myths are based on the fantastic birth and transformation of the mountains , lakes, plants and flowers ; others talk of … “diabolic” actions – with the frequent appearance of the devil in local tradition.

Some stories cover religious themes and "talk" to voices from other realms; saints are celebrated for their intercession with God, leading to small miracles.

Witches are also often present in tales; their stories lapse between fantasy and reality, in a region in which past historians have long since denied the presence of the Inquisition.

Ghosts, often the protagonists of legends applied to literature and “ghost stories”, appear in tales and in more modern forms of popular word of mouth: “dark” magazines, blogs and websites.

Cheese Fontina

a cheese that brings together all the exclusive aspects of unpasteurized and whole milk and its manufacture; it has a compact, thin, brown crust, inside of which is a semi-cooked, elastic and soft paste with a few small holes. The cheese is a pale yellow colour if produced in winter, when the cows are fed hay, and becomes a deeper yellow if produced during the summer. It has a sweet taste and its fragrant aroma intensifies as it matures.

Fromadzo

Gressoney toma

cheese

Salignön

Reblec

Brossa

Seras

Butter

Milk

Cuisine: Meat Vallée d’Aoste Jambon de Bosses - a raw ham

spiced with mountain herbs, produced at an altitude of 1600 meters in the location bearing the same name, Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses, situated in the Gran San Bernardo Valley, at the edge of the Swiss border.

Due to its many properties the 'Vallée d'Aoste Jambon de Bosses' obtained the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) in July 1996. The ideal occasion to taste this delicacy is the festival dedicated in its honor, which takes place yearly in Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses during the second Sunday of July.

Vallée d’Aoste Jambon de Bosses

Valleé d’Aoste Lard d’Arnad

Boudin

Saouseusse

Motzetta

Teuteun

Barbecued Jambon of Saint-Oyen

Others

Tegole - The typical biscuits of Valle d’Aosta are called tegole, prevalently made with hazelnuts, sugar, egg white, flour and, possibly, almonds and vanilla.

The Génépy

It s chromatic aspect - greenish yellow, the fragrance of balsam and the full and slightly bitter taste all stem from the characteristics of these herbs, collected sparingly on the moraines of glaciers (over 2000 m of altitude)

Saint-Vincent - The raccards in Valmignanaz

Location181 km from Annecy, 91 km from

Chamonix, 167 km from Geneva and 35 km from Aosta

Les Combes d’Introd Location

162 km from Annecy, 66 km from Chamonix, 143 km from Geneva and 20 km from Aosta.

The Walser houses - Gressoney

Location229 km from Annecy, 133 km from Chamonix, 210 km from Geneva, 78 km from Aosta.

The village of Farettaz in Fontainemore

Location 216 km from Annecy, 117 km from Chamonix, 194 km from Geneva, 62 km from Aosta.

Bridges and old houses in Champorcher Valley

Location212 km from Annecy, 116 km from Chamonix, 193 km from Geneva, 60 km from Aosta.

Saint-Rhémy and Étroubles

Location 185 km from Annecy, 89 km from Chamonix, 166 km from Geneva, 23 km from Aosta.

Rural architecture in La Salle

Location132 km from Annecy, 36 km from Chamonix, 113 km from Geneva, 25 km from Aosta

Valsavarenche - The village of Nex Location

167 km from Annecy, 77 km from Chamonix, 153 km from Geneva, 30 km from Aosta.

Perloz - The villages of Chemp and Varfey Location

202+6 km from Annecy, 111+6 km from Chamonix, 188+6 km from Geneva and 56+6 km from Aosta.

Innocenzo Manzetti (inventor) Federico Chabod (historian) Charlott Bonin (Triathlete) Ursus of Aosta (saint)

References http://www.lovevda.it/turismo/default_e.asp http://www.lovevda.it/turismo/scopri/

enogastronomia/prodotti/formaggi/default_e.asp

http://www.lovevda.it/turismo/scopri/la_tradizione/lingue_e.asp

http://www.lovevda.it/turismo/scopri/enogastronomia/prodotti/salumi/default_e.asp

http://www.lovevda.it/turismo/scopri/enogastronomia/prodotti/altri_prodotti/genepy_e.asp