La Thuile
At 1441 meters above sea level, La Thuile is one of the most beautiful places in the Aosta Valley and one of the most important tourist destinations. La Thuile is located in the homonymous valley, and is the westernmost municipality in the region.
La Thuile borders France through the Little Saint Bernard Pass. The resort is part of an international ski area together with the neighboring resort of La Rosière in Savoy, and includes over 160 kilometers of pistes.
In La Thuile the Patios Valdostano is spoken, a language born in this locality, La Thile in dialect indicates the flat stone of which the Aosta Valley roofs are made, typical of the Mont Blanc area.
History of the city of La Thuile
The territory was inhabited since the most ancient times, in fact here there is a Cromlech, one of the very rare megalithic circles in Italy, composed of 46 stones fixed vertically in the ground between 2 and 4 meters away from each other, to form a circle with a diameter of 72 meters, presumably dating back to the pre-Celtic period, about 3,000 years BC.
Subsequently this area of the Valle d’Aosta was inhabited by the populations of the Celts, the Salassi and the Romans.
The Salassi were a Celtic tribe that lived in the Aosta Valley before the Romans. The Romans built, in 45 BC, a road that connected Milan to Lyon, this road took the name of Alpis Graia and was commissioned by Julius Caesar himself. It was always the Romans who built the mansiones, structures consisting of a central courtyard and a series of rooms intended for the rest of men and animals, inside one of them, a fanum was also found, a small temple dedicated to the Gallic cult. . Particularly interesting is the Columna Jovis, probably built to mark the way of travelers. In Roman times the town was known with the name of Ariolica, while in the Middle Ages it took the name of Thuilia, only in 1760 it took the definitive name of La Thuile.
La Thuile was one of the first possessions of the House of Savoy, it covered a strategic and military role between the end of the 1700s and the beginning of the 1900s, its position made it in fact to protect the passage between the Tarantasia Valley and the Duchy of Aosta. .
What to see in La Thuile
La Thuile is not only one of the most famous ski resorts in the Aosta Valley, but also a characteristic village rich in history and architecture. There are many historic buildings to discover, fortifications, churches and places of interest that make this location one of the most interesting in the region.
Parish Church of San Nicola: the construction of this church certainly dates back to before the 12th century. The current appearance of the church is due to the reconstruction that took place in the 1400s and later in the 1700s. The building today has a Latin cross shape, with splendid internal walls frescoed between 1945 and 1946 by the painter Ettore Mazzini, as a vote of the local population in request of divine protection during the Second World War. The church is flanked by a bell tower built between 1300 and 1400, a square tower with a spire added in 1700. According to the legend, the fifteenth-century crucifix that is located inside the church, miraculously escaped an attempt of profanation by French troops in 1794, it is said that the French, after having destroyed the town, wanted to destroy the crucifix as well but who, unable to reach it with the ropes, decided to climb a ledge to reach it from above, many of them fell in the enterprise and died and the others, frightened, gave up on its destruction.
Cromlech del Piccolo San Bernardo: the cromlech is a megalithic complex, located on the Piccolo San Bernardo hill, 2188 meters high. It is one of the rare megalithic sites in Italy, together with the Megalithic Area of Saint-Martin-de-Corlèans, the only two in north-western Italy. It is an ancient Celtic place of worship, about 3,000 BC, it was built by the Salassi. The Cromlech is composed of 46 elongated stones, embedded in the ground, at a distance of 2 or 4 meters from each other, joined to form a circle with a diameter of 72 meters. The Cromlech of La Thuile is also very important from an astronomical point of view, during the summer solstice in fact, at 19.30, the sun setting behind Mount Lancebranlette, projects two areas of shadow that surround the stones, leaving only a illuminated circle, to symbolize the sacred value of this place.
Chanousia Alpine Botanical Garden: created in 1897 by Abbot Pierre Chanoux – hence the name of the garden – rector of the Mauritian Order Hospice, this garden soon became famous for hosting more than 4,000 Alpine species. The garden is located in French territory. During the 40s of the last century, due to the war, it was abandoned, to be reopened towards the end of the 70s by the intervention of the Société de la Flore Valdôtaine, the Société d’Histoire Naturelle de La Savoie and some scholars of botany, which gave life to an international association that still manages the garden today.
Contacts
Jardin historique du Col du Petit Saint Bernard – La Chanousia
Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo
11016 LA THUILE (AO)
Tel.(+39) 342.8252189
E-mail. info@chanousia.org
Opening time
From 1 July to 15 September 09.00 – 18.00
Prices
Full € 3.00
Reduced € 2.00
Free for children under 10
Guided tour € 2.00
Weather forecast Aosta
Hotel in La Thuile
La Thuile is a very famous tourist resort, the westernmost of the Aosta Valley, frequented both in summer for the numerous outdoor activities, and in winter, it is in fact an important ski area together with the nearby La Rosière in Savoy, with over 160 km of slopes.
Best hotels in La Thuile:
HOTEL MEUBLE’ MARTINET : cozy family-run hotel close to the ski slopes, in the hamlet of Piccola Goletta 159. At guests’ disposal, rooms, suites and apartments. The hotel has a wellness area with turkish bath, sauna, whirlpool and fitness area.
LT HORSES 6 DREAMS : beautiful B&B in La Thuile, just 900m from the cable car. The rooms are furnished in a modern mountain style, with wooden floors, all with panoramic views of the mountains or the Ruitor glacier.
B&B LE CLOUX : family management for this welcoming B&B in the heart of La Thuile. Obtained from a traditional mountain house of the late 1800s. Simple and comfortable rooms, outside a garden with a play area for children.
HOTEL BOTON D’OR & WELLNESS : beautiful hotel in La Thuile, in the classic mountain style. The rooms are furnished in mountain style, with wooden floors and details, classic rooms and suites are available to guests. The hotel has a lounge bar, a small gym, a meeting room and a wellness center with sauna, whirlpool and relaxation area.
NIRA MONTANA : beautiful hotel nestled in the mountains of La Thuile, elegant, with a contemporary design but with the authentic Aosta Valley spirit. At guests’ disposal 55 rooms, with warm wooden floors. A restaurant with traditional mountain cuisine, a wellness area with heated indoor pool, sauna, Turkish bath, vitarium, private spa area and a gym.
Restaurants in Aosta
Cheeses, cured meats and cereals are just some of the most authentic and genuine ingredients of the Aosta Valley, a precious wealth of traditional products, which make this region unique and famous all over the world. In La Thuile you will have the opportunity to delight yourself by choosing one of the traditional Aosta Valley restaurants in the city, discovering the oldest recipes and the most famous dishes.
Best restaurants in La Thuile:
RISTORANTE LO TATA’ : frazione Piccola Goletta 102, 11016 La Thuile – +39 0165884132
PEPITA CAFE : frazione Entreves 12, 11016 La Thuile – +39 0165883047
LO RIONDET : strada statale Piccolo San Bernardo 4, 11016 La Thuile – +39 0165884006
LE COQ MAF : via Marcello Collomb 39, 11016 La Thuile – +39 3483866298
TAVERNA COPPAPAN : frazione Villaret 68, 11016 La Thuile – +398 0165884797
MAISON BLANCHE : località Maison Blanche, 11016 la Thuile – +39 3295964490
LA LISSE : località Arly 24, 11016 La Thuile – +39 0165884167
LA MAISON DE LAURENT : frazione Bathieu 71, 11016 La Thuile – +39 01651858700
RISTORANTE LA FORDZE : frazione Bathieu 28, 11016 La Thuile – +39 3488518368
MAISON CARREL : Alpe Argillew, 11016 La Thuile – +39 3343660162