The Valley of the Unconquered

A mountain refuge most difficult to breach, the Subiasc Valley at various times became the line of last defense against the implacable drives of the Duke of Savoy's forces.

The valley's name runs to the last-ditch bravery of the Waldensian survivors of the 1686 massacres, who managed to hold the enemy at bay for months. When at length their resistance secured the release of several thousand other imprisoned Waldensian survivors, they followed them into exile in Switzerland, weapons in hand.

The Big Peak, (Gran Guglia), in the Subiasc Valley,
Waldensians' last redoubt (Photo by P.Gardiol)