Who are the Walsers?

The Walsers’ ancestors were the Alemmans, a Germanic population who, in Roman times, inhabited the area of the present-day Swarbia in southern Germany.  With the fall of the Roman Empire, they began to move south through the valleys that now belong to Switzerland and, between the eighth and ninth centuries, permanently colonised the high Vallais.  In the twelfth century, they began to colonise other Alpine areas, where, due to their origin, they were called Walsers, from the German “Walliser”, or valley dweller.  In the course of 300 years, they founded numerous colonies in the area which stretches from Savoy to Austria.

The Walsers brought with them their culture and their language, a member of the Germanic group.  Today many colonies have vanished, either because they were abandoned or because the Walser population has mixed with the local one.  The largest colonies, however, have tenaciously survived.  The Walser settlements of the Val d’Aosta, the southern most in Europe, are in Gressoney and Issime in the Val de Lys, Ayas in Val d’Ayas and Gettaz des Allemands near Champdepraz in the main valley.

Throughout the Alagna and Gressoney region one can find remains of Walser architecture and some amazing renovations of original Walser buildings.  

If you wish to experience a piece of this history first hand, spending your holiday staying in original and renovated old Walser buildings please contact Zuba Ski for further information.

For a further understanding of this interesting Walser history one can visit the Walser museum, located in the small hamlet of Pedemonte just up the valley from the main village of Alagna.