Friday 15 December 2017

The Valley of Aosta, a great history of micronationalism

Flag of Aosta
Coat of arms of Aosta
Valle d'Aosta is one of the twenty regions that make up the Italian Republic. Its capital and most populated city is Aosta. It is located in northwestern Italy, bounded on the north by Switzerland, on the east and south by Piedmont and on the west by France. It is one of the five regions with special status, in Italy. Located in the Western Alps, on both sides of the Dora Baltea basin, it is part of the Alps-Mediterranean Euroregion.




LOCATION
It is located at the confluence of the Buthier with the Dora Baltea (in French, Doire baltée), at the junction of the roads leading to the Mont Blanc tunnel and the Great San Bernardo.

HISTORY
Aosta was founded by the halls; in the 25 a. C. became capital of the region colonized by the Romans and took the name of Augusta Praetoria.

During the Roman period it was enriched with buildings, bridges, aqueducts and still preserves from this period the walls, the typical urban structure in the form of a chessboard and important monumental testimonies.


In the Middle Ages, after enduring the dominations of the Goths, Franks and Saracens, it passed to the Savoy in 1025.

In 1031–1032 Humbert I of Savoy, the founder of the House of Savoy, received the title Count of Aosta from Emperor Conrad II of the Franconian line and built himself a commanding fortification at Bard. Saint Anselm of Canterbury was born in Aosta in 1033 or 1034. The region was divided among strongly fortified castles, and in 1191 Thomas I of Savoy found it necessary to grant to the communes a Charte des franchises ("Charter of Liberties") that preserved autonomy—rights that were fiercely defended until 1770, when they were revoked in order to tie Aosta more closely to Piedmont, but which were again demanded during post-Napoleonic times. In the mid-13th century Emperor Frederick II made the County of Aosta a duchy (see Duke of Aosta), and its arms charged with a lion rampant were carried in the Savoy arms until the reunification of Italy in 1870.

The region remained part of Savoy lands, with the exceptions of French occupations from 1539 to 1563, later in 1691, then between 1704 and 1706. As part of the Kingdom of Sardinia it joined the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861. It was also ruled by the First French Empire between 1800 and 1814. During French rule, it was part of Aoste arrondissement in Doire department.

The region gained special autonomous status after the end of World War II; the province of Aosta ceased to exist in 1945.

LANGUAGES
In Aosta, the Valdostan dialect of the Franco-Provençal language is used. The official languages are French and Italian.

CLIMATE

The valleys, usually above 1600 metres, annually have a Cold Continental Climate (Dfc). In this climate the snow season is very long, as long as 8 or 9 months at the highest points. During the summer, mist occurs almost every day. Areas between 2000 metres and 3500 metres usually have a Tundra Climate (ET), where every month has an average temperature below 10 °C (50 °F). This climate may be a kind of more severe Cold Oceanic Climate


AOSTA INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT
Aosta have always been a place where citizens want to be independent from Italy.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Several micronationalists and libertarians support Aosta independence. 

MOVEMENT OF CULTURAL OPINION

Pays d'Aoste is a non-profit, non-profit cultural opinion movement that is part of the cultural association Centro Studi Jean-Baptiste De Tillier founded in Aosta in 1989.
The Pays d'Aoste group was founded in 2012 with the intention of defending and promoting the identity of Valle d'Aosta.


PAYS D'AOSTE


It all started at the beginning of 2012, both during and after the numerous conferences to present the book "The Question of Valle d'Aosta: a nation without a State", which took place in many places in Valle d'Aosta by Mauro Caniggia Nicolotti and Luca Poggianti.

During these meetings, several people interested in developing issues related to the Valle d'Aosta identity and the history of our land decided to organize together in a cultural movement.

Strong, therefore, of such interest on the part of many, on October 27 the group "Pays d'Aoste" was established within the cultural association Centro Studi De Tillier.

"Pays d'Aoste" is a cultural and non-partisan, non-denominational opinion movement that aims to bring together all those people and groups that recognize themselves in the principles listed here.

We care about Valle d'Aosta and we intend to work to safeguard its territorial integrity, as well as ethnic-linguistic and cultural autonomy, but also its historical autonomy. Therefore, we support and demand the right to self-determination of the inhabitants of Valle d'Aosta.

In fact, we believe that the dissemination of well-being among the citizens of Valle d'Aosta and the social and economic development of Valle d'Aosta can not ignore the defense of these values.
For them it is a priority that Valle d'Aosta recover its ancestral history, the only ingredient that can allow the reconstruction of a strong common sense of belonging to the territory, the compass of our future.
This group was born, as was initially said, from a rib of the Centro Studi De Tillier, a cultural association founded in 1989 and that since then has hundreds of initiatives (editorial, artistic, cultural, ...).

Its members have different ages, professions and backgrounds, but all converge in the commitment to defend the identity of Valle d'Aosta.

We never ask our members to vote, nor give them a voting address or chichessia.
Recently on the network appeared some criticisms towards us, defining a "ghost" movement of opinion that calls itself "Pays d'Aoste", but even adjectives (let's say "debatable") directed to our representatives and their way of thinking. We understand why these attitudes.
We are not looking for confrontation, but dialectics ... and after freedom of thought and action and respect for democratic and moral rules.
We are not tied to any political party or movement, nor do we have to account for this or another politician, or private interests or of various kinds.

We are a group that cares about Valle d'Aosta and its events. Is there something strange or subtly political in all this? We do not ask for a vote, nor ambitions for the candidacy; we do not take public contributions and we do not consider that the absolute Word prevails over any other thought.

We are simply Valle d'Aosta, who care about their territory and express this affection in the way they consider most appropriate to their abilities and desires.
All with respect to all diversity; not only of thought, but also of ethnicity, language, religion, color and other characteristics that, for us, represent only the human wealth of this world and should never be a reason for exclusion. Integration and exchange are among the many ingredients of life in common, the spirit of freedom and peace.

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