CHISONE VALLEY, TURIN

The name derives from the Latin Chisone "clausum" which means closed. And indeed, the valley that rises up from Pinerolo to Sestriere from the idea of ​​a valley enclosed by the Hautes Alpes that surround it.



Pinerolo is the most important town of Chisone, famous for being a fief of the Princes of Achaia and in the past the school of chivalry.



Going up the valley through the regional road 23 that runs along the river Chisone then find the town of San Germano Chisone home, past the cotton mill Widemann.

Continuing the road to meet Villar Perosa Sestriere, where the country was born of Senator Giovanni Agnelli founded Fiat and several times mayor of Villar Perosa (as well as his grandson Gianni Agnelli. Villar Perosa you can see that Edmondo De Amicis in his book "Journey to Italy" described as a "little white copy of Superga." in fact the church, built between 1711 and 1716 by Victor Amadeus II of Savoy seems to be the work of Juvarra (the same architect of Superga) also if there are no official documents.

Villar Perosa

Further, we also find the country of Argentina Perosa also a time when textile mills (cotton and silk) of which now remains only the cotton mill which employs few people and an eco-museum that has collected the materials, documents and testimony relating to the activity textile industry in the valley.
Chisone in history has passed several times under French rule and Perosa is also the ancient border with French dauphin of which now remains only a ruin of a rock called Bec Dauphine.

From Perosa Argentina is a bifurcation from which the Germanasca Valley. The Chisone as Germanasca Valley has seen over the years the establishment of the Protestant Waldenses.

During the resistance in the valley formed several independent partisan groups subjected to the direct control of the CLN
These partisans, led by Sergeant of the mountain and ski Maggiorino Marcellin, do not engage in any political party and also came up for a few months a partisan autonomous republic.

The fort of Fenestrelle is perhaps the most famous monument Chisone. With its walls dating from the slope of the mountain has been called by someone, so maybe a little 'too much, "the Chinese Wall" of Val Chisone.

Is also very beautiful drive along the dell'Assietta, dirt road about thirty miles times the protagonist of the" Giro d'Italia". The road connects the Pian dell'Assietta Alpe Sestriere through a path above 2000 meters, which earned him the title of Europe's highest military road.


From Pragelato begins a side valley called Val Troncea, whose territory is fully included in the Natural Park of Val Troncea.

Going along the regional road 23, then you get to 2000 meters of Sestriere.
Senator Giovanni Agnelli seems that he bought for about 40 cents per meter of the land since 1930, Hill built the famous Two Towers that will be as many hotels and the first three lifts for skiers, giving way to the tourist area of ​​the first was purely agricultural.

Thanks to major tourist destinations such as tourism in Pragelato and Sestriere Chisone now has a strong weight and has virtually supplanted the industrial vocation of the valley.
In February 2006, Pinerolo, Pragelato and Sestriere has hosted several competitions of the XX edition of the Winter Olympic Games.
After being home to one stage of the Tour of Italy which saw the move to Windows and the arrival of the hill in Sestriere, this year will be the star of the Chisone 17 th stage of the Tour de France 2011 from Gap to Pinerolo and 18 ° from Pinerolo stage in Serre-Chevalier.

Some of the dishes typical of the valley are:
Waldensians soup: soup, bread sticks
Cagliette: with potatoes and onions
glore of potato dish of baked potatoes
Pilot: fried potato dough.
Gofri
Some of the typical products are:
Plaisentif - typical cheese

Personalities born in Chisone
- Giovanni Agnelli was born in Villar Perosa
- Gustavo Zagrebelsky, Italian jurist born in San Germano Chisone.


Another chance to visit Piedmont.