The Walsers were the first inhabitants of Lys-Valley’s upper end and they belonged to a Germanic tribe that in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries left the Swiss canton of Wallis (which explains the origin of the name “Walser”), in order to colonise Monte Rosa’s southern slopes, carrying with them their customs, their habits and their language. A lot of small villages were therefore founded in Gressoney, Niel (near Gaby) and Issime.
Lys-Valley’s inhabitants were used to going back to German speaking towns (South Germany and Switzerland), where they worked as cloth merchants. Thanks to these people who, besides living abroad, have always kept frequent contacts with their native land, most of Gressoney’s inhabitants still speak the old German dialect and their daily life is nowadays characterised by plenty of interesting habits and traditions.