Gressoney-Saint-Jean

Gressoney-Saint-Jean (French pronunciation: [ɡʁɛsɔnɛ sɛ̃ ʒɑ̃]; Gressoney Walser: Greschòney Zer Chilchu; Arpitan: Gressonèy-Sèn-Dzan) is a town and comune in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy.

Geography

The town is situated in a valley formed by the torrent Lys which is fed by the Lys glacier.

History, Walser culture and language

Though Gressoney-Saint-Jean and Gressoney-La-Trinité form two separate comunes they form a Walser German cultural unity known as Greschòney or Creschnau in Greschoneytitsch (or simply Titsch), the local Walser German dialect, or Kressenau in German.

The Church of St John in the Òbre Platz
The Savoy Castle
Memorial plaque of the 1868 flood written in German and Italian
Gressoney-St-Jean in the Lys valley
Carlo Mollino mountain hut and Corno Rosso (Ròthòre), above Gressoney-St-Jean

In 1868, the Lys flooded the village.

From 1928 until 1946 the two were united into one commune, officially named Gressoney, which from 1939 onward was Italianized as Gressonei. After WWII, the two former communes were reconstituted as well as their original name in French.^[3]

An example of Greschòneytitsch:

Points of interest

Savoy Castle, a former summer residence of the House of Savoy
Savoy Castle Alpine Botanical Garden, an alpine botanical garden within the grounds of Savoy Castle
Villa Margherita, a former nobles' residence and currently the town hall

References

^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
^ R.D. 22 luglio 1939, n. 1442
^ "Das Vaterunser auf Walserisch (Greschòney)" (in Walser). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 2006. Retrieved 2011-05-13.

External links

Gressoney-Saint-Jean Archived 2017-08-09 at the Wayback Machine Tourist information www.gressoneyonline.it (Italian), retrieved 9 August 2017