from ALLE PORTE D'ITALIA, a book by the famous italian writer
Edmondo De Amicis (1884)
The Waldensian Thermopylae: the Angrogna Valley
«...Across three centuries the Waldensians were assailed in their Valleys,
from Pragelato to Lusernetta, from Bobbio to Pramollo, in the lowlands and in the
mountains alike, in every season by standing armies, roving bands, crusades, with
such maneuvers--some carefully planned, others thrown together at the moment--and
trickery on the part of politicians, the military and vigilantes as only the human
mind can conjure up.
Every square foot of their lands, every precipice of their mountains has its story
of blood, fire, and glory.
But the most solemn memories and most ancient glories run to the story of the
Angrogna Valley. Subduing this refuge was at once the cardinal objective and
the desperation, shame and undoing of the Catholic expeditionary leadership.
No wonder that for the Waldensians the Val d'Angrogna is the most beloved and
sacred of the Valleys, 'the very heart of the Valleys,' they say....»
To Major historic sites