Heritage: La Thuile

In the beginning of the Nineteenth Century, during the construction of the national road between Morgex and Pré Saint Didier, the men of La Thuile and those of Courmayeur worked side by side in corvées (each for four days, which turned into eight if one possessed a mule), but an ancestral rivalry continuously pushed them to compete against each other’s capacities. They finally decided to let two champions compete against each other in order to establish, based on the result of the match, which town was the strongest.
In those years a woman with extraordinary strength lived in La Thuile. Her nickname was Trifolla: the townspeople unanimously chose her to face the test.
At this point the townspeople of Courmayeur agreed that the match between one of their male champions and a representative of the weaker sex, whatever the outcome, would have embarassed them; therefore they decided to make one of their women compete against Trifolla. They trained her very hard even if she did not have the same build or strength as her opponent. The young girl, whose nickname was Mezola, was taught fencing and boxing in order to learn a few ploys that would allow her to beat her opponent.
The match took place at Pré Saint Didier. In the square of the church filled with people, the two women were placed five meters away from each other: the winner was the one who was able to throw the opponent to the ground. The losers would then have to treat fifty townspeople to a good lunch.
At the starting bell, Trifolla threw herself against her opponent, ready to grab her in a strong grip. But Mezola deftly placed her elbow underneath Trifolla’s chin and, tripping her up, threw her to the ground.
Not believing in what they saw, the fans of La Thuile claimed a new match: they lost a lunch, now they wanted to bet on a dinner; Mezola accepted. Once again her opponent threw herself on top of Mezola with all her giant weight, this time squeezing her between her arms. But, remembering all her lessons, Mezola moved with such agility that, rolling on the floor together with her opponent, she was able to land on top of her.
The show ended with a delicious dinner, satisfying both parties. And the records were established: strength for La Thuile and agility for Courmayeur.

Based on: “Il fiore del leggendario valdostano” (The Flower of the Legendary Valdostan) by Tersilla Gatto Chanu Edizioni Emme/Torino (publishers)

Ogni anno il santo patrono si festeggia nei comuni e nei villaggi della Valdigne con una manifestazione particolare, la “Badoche”, le cui origini paiono risalire ai riti propiziatori celebrati presso i Celti.

La tradizione vuole che la Badoche sia nata a La Salle, per poi diffondersi anche nelle altre località.
Protagonisti della festa sono i giovani scapoli che organizzano un ballo collettivo sulla piazza del paese. Alcuni giorni prima, i giovani della Badoche si riuniscono e designano il “capo badocher”, il quale insieme con la sua compagna, la “badochère”, dirigerà la festa.
Alla vigilia la coppia, nei vestiti tradizionali, guida di casa in casa il piccolo corteo accompagnato dai suonatori di fisarmonica, per annunciare l’evento e raccogliere offerte che aiutino a sostenere le spese per la festa. L’insegna del “badocher” è la cosiddetta “alabarda”, un bastone a tre punte coronato di fiori e ornato di nastri di seta multicolori, mentre per la questua si presenta un piatto, anch’esso decorato da fiori e nastri, pieno di dolciumi e di sigarette da offrire in cambio dell’obolo.

Nella piazza dove avrà luogo il ballo vengono issati otto pini abbattuti qualche giorno prima dai “badochers”.

Il giorno della festa patronale l’allegra brigata della “Badoche” e i suonatori fanno il loro ingresso nella piazza all’uscita della messa: le danze sono aperte dal “capo badocher” e dalla sua compagna, che successivamente inviteranno gli altri “badochers”, le autorità, le coppie di giovani provenienti dai villaggi vicini, i coscritti e ogni categoria di persone e di lavoratori, secondo una consuetudine tramandata dalla tradizione orale.
Il gran ballo riprende nel pomeriggio, accompagnato da generose mescite di vino, e si conclude a sera tarda.
Il gruppo folkloristico “Les Sallereins” raccoglie nel suo repertorio le danze tradizionali della “Badoche” di La Salle.
La “Badoche” è una tradizione che si festeggia anche a Morgex nel giorno dell’Assunzione (15 agosto), a La Thuile alla Traslazione delle reliquie di San Nicola (9 maggio), a Pré-Saint-Didier a San Lorenzo (10 agosto) e in alcune frazioni di questi paesi della Valdigne.

The existence of a parish in La Thuile is certified by documentary evidence dating back to the 12th century. All traces of the old church have disappeared: the current one was rebuilt during the 15th century and then again in the 18th century, following the devastation associated with the passage of the French troops.
It is a Latin cross shaped building with semi-circular apses. The interior walls of the church were decorated by Ettore Mazzini in the years 1945-46, in fulfillment of the votive offering made by the population of La Thuile to obtain divine protection during the Second World War. The belltower, which probably dates back to the 14th-15th century, consists of a plastered stone square tower, decorated with hanging arches on the last two levels. The spire is from the 18th century.
The gilded wood tabernacle, from the 18th century, originates from the Visitation convent of Aosta, which was suppressed at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Saint Nicholas, the patron of the church and the parish, is frescoed in the left hand side apse.

According to legend, the wooden crucifix from the 15th century, which is positioned above the altar, is said to have miraculously escaped a profanation attempt. In 1794 the French soldiers had destroyed everything on their path, wanting to tear it down, first with ropes and then failing that, trying to reach it by walking along the internal cornice of the church; as they were doing this however, some of them got killed, the others gave up and the crucifix remained where it was. An inscription on the vault recalls the event.

Scholars, collectors, lovers of art and the local territory, the brothers Robert and Louis Berton, convinced that culture is a common good, donated their house, where the family used to spend their holidays, to the town of La Thuile, to make a museum of it.

The eclectic collection mainly consists of traditional Aosta Valley artefacts, in particular masks, furniture, prints of avant-garde painters, drawings and illustrations of traditional architecture, and an extensive library.

Visitors will find a domestic environment characterized by its original furniture, where time has stood still between the 1970s and 1990s, and can enjoy the artistic wealth on display thanks to modern equipment that allow them to explore the themes in greater focus.

The permanent exhibition hosted in the municipal library presents documents, surveys and original projects of the mining activity of the La Thuile mines in which silver lead and anthracite were extracted.
A collection of minerals, vintage photographs and illustrations outline the picture of the mountain context in which an industrial reality temporarily settled.

The mines of La Thuile have now become a real mining park with various signposted routes to discover the still evident traces of mining activity.

Located in the parish church of San Nicola, the museum holds statues and items of gold from sacred art dating back to the period from the 13th to the 19th century and coming from the church and the chapels in the parish of La Thuile.