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Italy: Val d’Aosta

Overview

The autonomous region of Val D’Aosta contains only one province, Aosta, and is the smallest (3,263sq km/1,260 sq mi) and most sparsely populated region in Italy, with a population of just 120,000. It’s also Italy’s wealthiest area, with a very low unemployment rate. The regional capital and only large city is Aosta, founded by the Romans in 25BC and named after Emperor Augustus. It contains a wealth of Roman remains, including the city walls, theatre and a triumphal arch. In the 11th century it came under the domination of the Savoy family but was always considered autonomous. Officially bi-lingual (Italian and French), the region also boasts several dialects, including a Provençal patois and Walser, a German dialect.

Thanks to the region’s landscapes and outstanding natural beauty, tourism is the largest industry, attracting over 700,000 visitors annually. The region’s mountains include Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc), Europe’s highest mountain at 4,810m/15,780ft, whose peak is in France, the Matterhorn (4,478m/14,691ft, peaking in Switzerland), Monte Rosa (4,633m/15,200ft) and Monte Cervino, which draw skiers year round (there’s glacier skiing in the summer). The Gran Paradiso national park contains an abundance of forests and wild flowers and many rare animals, including lynx and stambecchi (goats with large horns), and plants. The region is one of the favourite Italian winter sports areas and in winter people flock to the main resorts of Cervinia, Courmayeur (the most popular), Breuil-Cervinia and Gressoney. Other industries include iron mining near Cogne, crafts (e.g. wood carving) and livestock breeding.

Property: Sturdily built and well-designed wooden and stone chalets (rascards) are typical of the region. The property market is currently buoyant and prices are generally higher than in neighbouring Piedmont, top properties costing up to €5,000 per sq m in chic Courmayeur (where a three-bedroom villa can cost up to €1 million), €3,500 per sq m in Cervinia, and around €2,250 per sq m in Saint Vincent (noted for its casino).

Communications: The region has excellent motorway connections with Milan and Turin, and with Switzerland and France (via the Gran San Bernardo pass and the Monte Bianco tunnel), and is also well served by international airports in neighbouring regions – particularly Turin.

© Survival Books Limited 2003

“Buying a Home in Italy” 3rd Edition, David Hampshire.

Reproduced with the permission of Survival Books Limited.

Further information on this topic can be found in “Buying a Home in Italy” 3rd edition, by David Hampshire.

For extensive information about buying a property in Italy, you can purchase this book at www.survivalbooks.net

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