The name derives from the French word "tuile" which means "roof tile" or "mill-run". In Roman times the town was named Ariola, while during the Middle Ages Thuile. Finally, from 1939 to 1946 it was named Porta Littoria.
Located in the most Western point of the Val d'Aosta, it is composed of several districts: Arly, Bathieu, Buic, Entreves, Grande Golette, La Joux, Les Granges, Les Suches, Moulin, Pera Carà, Piccola Golette, Petosan, Pont Serrand, Preillon, Promise, Thovex, Villaret.
La Thuile is situated in a broad valley covered with meadows and is dominated by Mount Rutor (3486 meters) along the road to France, through the pass of the Piccolo San Bernardo.
It is a popular resort for all Seasons, both Summer and Winter, offering the opportunity to make trips to the mountains, hiking between nature, waterfalls and lakes, besides being a popular ski resort with ski lifts, ski schools and ski trails.
The area of La Thuile recorded the presence of humans since ancient times and, like the other towns of the Val d'Aosta, it suffered the dominion of the Romans and, starting from the X century, the area was dominated by the Savoy. The Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo played a strategic role from the XVIII to the first half of the XX century, thanks to the particular position which allowed the control of the territory in conflicts between the kingdom of Sardinia and Kingdom of France. La Thuile was occupied by the French for the first time in 1704, a second in 1794. During the Second World War, it was the seat of the Italian partisans fighting against the French and German troops.
At first, La Thuile was a small village of farmers and shepherds, until at the end of 1920 there was a notable increase in population thanks to the discovery and exploitation of coal mines closed in 1966. In 1948 the Piccolo San Bernardo Ski Company started the creation of the ski resort with the opening of the first chairlift La Thuile-Les Suches, followed by Les Suches-Chaz Dura.
Not to miss:
The Cromlech, stones arranged to form a circle, situated on the passage of the Small S. Bernard, left by the pre-Roman population.
The buildings of the Roman era: a column of Jupiter, which gives its name to the hill Minoris Mons Jovis, the fanum Gaul-Roman.
The fortifications built in the XIX and XX centuries by the Kingdom of Italy, whose remains are still visible today.
The Garden of Chanousia, a famous botanical garden of alpine flowers.