The history of the Valley
The mountain
The Aosta Valley has a history of tradition and nature
A small alpine world in which the people of this valley have been able to exploit the limited resources of an often hostile environment very well over time . And they have been able to translate this adaptability into the rearing of grazing animals, as well as into all the small and large daily activities.
Fontina: a centuries-old tradition
The production of Fontina PDO has a centuries-old tradition that links the natural environment to the production, the rearing to work, up to the preparation of typical dishes.
The mountain pastures where the cheese is made are closely linked to everyday life in Aosta Valley: during the long grazing periods, for example, the “cornailles” are made, a typical toy made in the mountain pastures during the long grazing days, which very well represents the traditional culture at the base of its folk art.
Historically, children made their own toys, carving pieces of wood in the shape of animals that were part of their everyday life: cows, sheep and chickens. Stumpy and stylised in shape, the little ones used them to represent, in the game, the famous Bataille de Reines
Mountain pastures
It is clear that the history of the Aosta Valley is strongly linked to its mountain pastures
Their organisation for the exploitation of the alpine pastures is one of the most characteristic and original aspects of the region’s economy and history. And it has always been. For centuries, during the summer, cattle from various farms have been brought together to form herds and led to the mountains to graze on the vast high-altitude pastures.
in a mountain pasture season that typically lasts about one hundred days, from June until the end of September.
Even today, as in the past, automation is very limited and manual work is essential to carry out the numerous tasks. This is another link between tradition and modernity that tells the story of a valley that remains strongly linked to its people, its landscape and its typical products.
