english

  • Antica Porta Apartments Ravello

    Antica Porta Apartments Ravello

    Apartments Accommodation Ravello Amalficoast Neapolitan Riviera Salerno Campania Italy

  • Palazzo Verone Relais Amalficoast

    Palazzo Verone Relais Amalficoast

    Charming Bed and Breakfast Accommodation Pontone Scala Amalficoast Salerno Neapolitan Riviera Italy

  • Hotel Sole Splendid Maiori

    Hotel Sole Splendid Maiori

    hotel in Maiori, accommodation in Maiori, hotel on the Amalfi Coast, accommodation on the Amalfi Coast, sea view hotel, sea view...

  • Pasticceria Pansa

    Pasticceria Pansa

    Confectionery, Pastry shop, Wine Bar, Tea room on the Amalfi Coast Amalfi Salerno Campania Italy

  • Villa Lara Amalfi

    Villa Lara Amalfi

    Quality Bed and Breakfast Charming Hotel Relais Accommodation Luxury Rooms Amalfi Coast Hotels Neapolitan Riviera Salerno Campania...

you are here: Home Piedmont Cuneo Surroundings Pontechianale

Stay

Visit a locality browsing the menu on the left. In each Italy area you can then choose the best touristical structures we are proposing.

More About

Here you can find info and tips about the area you are visiting.

Print this page Send to a friend by e-mail

Pontechianale

Description

The name is the result of the combination of the words "Pont" (bridge) and "Chianale"(back). Originally there were two major settlements: Bridge, named so for the presence of a bridge, the second Chianale, located in the valley. The present Municipality is the unification of a series of nearby villages and districts, located throughout the province of Cuneo in the Valley Varaita, which is also the departure point for trekking tours such as the Tour of Viso. In the area, surrounded by the Forest Alevè, there are four important mountain shelters connected to the valley by ski lifts. Since 1942 in the district of Castello, a dam was built to produce electricity, which has created an artificial lake, popular with tourists. To achieve this, the entire village of Church was demolished and rebuilt nearby. Today, when the water level drops, it is still possible to admire the remains of houses.
It is likely that the first inhabitants of the Varaita valley were Ligurians (an ancient Italic population), reached some time later by the Gauls. Ariberto II, King of the Lombards, donated the territories of the Hautes Alpes and Val Varaita to the Pope. At a later date, the land were conquered by Charlemagne and then became part of the domain of the Counts of Austria. In the XIV century the territory was ceded by the Marquis of Saluzzo to the Dauphiné of Vienna of which the town shared the same history and fate. In the XVII century the valley was directly involved in a clash in which the troops of Piedmont defeated the French. With the Treaty of Utrecht, the higher area of the valley known as the Castellata, was ceded to the Savoy.

Attractions:
- the Chapel of Santa Maria Maddalena, built in the district that has the same name and preserves inside four paintings of the Evangelists, that date back to the XVII century. The characters are portrayed bizarrely with hands and feet with six fingers;
- the Baroque Parish Church of San Lorenzo in the district of Chianale, which features an admirable XVIII century altar;
- the Church of St. Peter in Chains in the village of Chiesa, built in the XX century and features a beautiful portal of the late Romanesque period, which belonged to the former church, also dedicated to St. Peter, submerged in 1942, along with the entire village, to create an artificial lake;
- the XIV century Church of St. Anthony in the village of Chianale, which features a very original structure and an even more particular sail-shaped Bell Tower;
- the Museum of Textile Crafts in the village of Chianale at the Capuchin convent.

Map

This town web page has been visited 21,071 times.

Choose language

italiano

english