History

At an altitude of 2,770 meters, the Col de l'Iseran links the Haute Maurienne and Tarentaise regions. Today, it attracts cyclists, bikers and hikers, but in the past it was a major passageway for trade and...

At an altitude of over 2,000 meters, Mont Cenis is a strategic crossing point between France and Italy. It could have been the site of a grandiose monument designed by Napoleon Bonaparte himself.

For centuries, the Haute Maurienne region, and Bramans in particular, has witnessed the passing of historical figures. Among the least glorious of them all, a band of sinister brigands...

In the 10th century, there would have been a village called "Faudan" between Bonneval sur Arc and the hamlet of l'Ecot. The selfishness of its inhabitants was well known in Haute Maurienne...

From the advent of the Baroque period, itinerant local craftsmen, trained in Piedmont in wood carving and gilding, travelled the valley to magnify the interiors of churches and...

At Christmas, Bessanais sing traditional carols in a large living nativity scene. Some of these songs were written in the village over 200 years ago. An oral heritage that is passed on...