Alagna Valsesia
| Alagna Valsesia | |||
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| Comune di Alagna Valsesia | |||
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 Alagna Valsesia
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| Coordinates: 45°51′14″N 7°56′14″E / 45.85389°N 7.93722°ECoordinates: 45°51′14″N 7°56′14″E / 45.85389°N 7.93722°E | |||
| Country | Italy | ||
| Region | Piedmont | ||
| Province | Vercelli (VC) | ||
| Frazioni | Dorf, Fum d'Boudma, Fum Diss, Fum Tschukke, Fun d'Rùfinu, Im Adelstodal, Im Felleretsch, Im Garrài, Im Oubre Grobe, Im Oubre Rong, Im Rong, Im Undre Grobe, Im Wold, In d'Bundu, In d'Ekku, In d'Follu, In d'Mèrlette, In d'Stütz, In d'Weng, In d'Wittine, Purratz Hus, Scarpia, Uttershus, Wittwosma, Z'am Steg, Zar Chilchu, Zar Sogu, Z'Jakmuls Hus, Z'Kantmud, Z'Pudelenn, Z'San Niklòs, Z'Yuassis Hus | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Sandro Bergamo | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 72 km2 (28 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 1,154 m (3,786 ft) | ||
| Population | |||
| • Total | 431 | ||
| • Density | 6/km2 (16/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | Alagnesi | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 13021 | ||
| Dialing code | 0163 | ||
| Patron saint | St. John the Baptist | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Alagna Valsesia (Walser German: Im Land, Piedmontese: Alagna, Valsesiano: Lagna) is a comune and small village high in the Valsesia alpine valley in the province of Vercelli, Piedmont, Italy. It was originally settled by Walser. It is located at the upper tip of Val Grande, in Piedmont Region of Italy, at an altitude of 1,191 m just south of the Monte Rosa 4638m (the second tallest peak in the Alps); it is a tourist site for mountaineering and winter sports, and is internationally known for the freeride off-piste skiing. Since December 2005 a new cable car connects Alagna with Gressoney through the Passo dei Salati.
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[edit] History
Founded during the middle age (XIII) by a German population ("Walser") descending from the North into the Italian Valleys around Monte Rosa, it has preserved today its charming atmosphere with several buildings built around 1500-1600 in a pure "Walser Style" still in perfect conditions. These magnificent architectures can be appreciated especially in one of the small hamlets of Alagna, called Pedemonte. Here, you can find an entire hamlet totally preserved and a Walser Museum housed in a building built in XVII century. In town, the Church of Saint John Baptist was built in 1511 and it has got inside some beautiful sculptures by Giovanni d'Enrico a famous Italian artist (1559-1644). At the entrance of the town, there is the native house of Tanzio da Varallo (1575-1633), one of the most important Italian artists and brother of Giovanni d'Enrico. In the centre, you can find the historical Hotel Monte Rosa Gugliermina, the first built in the town in 1865.
[edit] History of Mountaineering
Alagna is one of the Alpine towns which have played a crucial role in the history of the mountaineering. The Guides Assosiation was founded in 1872 and it is the oldest in Italy second only to that of Courmayeur (1870). From the town started all the first expeditions on the close Monte Rosa; the first one was on 23rd July 1801 when Pietro Giordani, a native of Alagna, reached the summit of the peak which now is called by his name (Giordani peak, 4046m). On 1819 Zumstein reached the third highest Monte Rosa peak (Zumstein peak, 4563m). Finally between August the 8th and the 9th, the Alagna parish priest, reached, after three attempts, the fourth tallest peak of Monte Rosa and the highest in the Alagna Valley, the today called Gnifetti Peak (4559m). The mountaineering tradition is still alive: Silvio Mondinelli the second Italian climber to reach all the 14 8000m peaks of the world, has done several challenging climbs on the Alagna side of Monte Rosa. In Septemebr 2011, Hervè Barmasse and his father, have opened a new route on the south-east face of the Gnifetti peak m.4559, which is at the moment the most difficult route on this side of the massif and one of the most challenging in the entire group (+800m, VI, ED). Finally Alagna is the starting point for reaching the Capanna Margherita, the highest hut in Europe, on the Gnifetti Peak top (4559m).
[edit] The Freeride world capital
Alagna is one of the most spectacular places in Europe, not only for the freeride. The claim "freeride paradise"[citation needed] which is associated with Alagna strongly testifies to this. There are endless routes for freeriders in a breathtaking landscape; it is very difficult to name the best ones: the ride in the wild area of the Malfatta is probably one of the best freeride itineraries in the Alps: it is classified as very difficult, it has the first part in a narrow couloir around 45°-50° of steepness, then you have around 2500m of difference in height from the starting point to the end of the route in a breathtaking, wild landascape, close to Monte Rosa 4638m the second highest peak in the Alps. There are other itineraries in the Bors valley, and others around the fantastic Valley of Otro (Passo Zube S3+, Passo della Coppa S3+, Canale Jschechette S4+), close to Corno Bianco m.3320. Val Vogna has plenty of itineraries too.
[edit] External links
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