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Aosta Valley:
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| INFORMATION ABOUT THE REGION:
Aosta Valley (in French Vallée d'Aoste, in Italian Valle d'Aosta) is a mountainous region in north-western Italy, the smallest of the regions. It is bordered by France to the west, Switzerland to the north and the region of Piedmont to the south.
The region covers 3,263 km² and has a (partially French speaking) population of about 113,000. French is used in the government acts and laws, though the language actually spoken by the biggest part of the population is Patois, a French dialect called Francoprovençal, that used to be spoken in Savoy, French-speaking Switzerland, Lyon area and the Jura. Aosta Valley is the only region still widely using the language. The region has a special autonomous status and forms one of the Provinces of Italy. The regional capital is Aosta.
The area was under the control of many different rulers until passing to the house of Savoy in the 11th century. It was established as an autonomous region of Italy in 1944.
Aosta Valley is joined to Chamonix in France by the Mont Blanc Tunnel, a road tunnel on E25 running underneath the Alps. The road through the Great St Bernard Pass or Great St Bernard Tunnel leads to Martigny, Valais, and the one through the Little St Bernard Pass to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Savoie. |
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