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WELCOME
TO VIGO
DI FASSA |
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Vigo di Fassa is
situated in the middle of the Val di Fassa, in one of the valley’s
widest and sunniest points.
The first settlements here date back to prehistory. These, however,
were located further up, where the church of Santa Giuliana now
stands. This location was once the site of a ‘castelliere’, a
fortified settlement not unlike the better known example at Doss dei
Pigui above Campitello. This, however, was probably used more for
religious or ritual purposes than for defence.
The town was later rebuilt further downhill, after it was completely
destroyed by a disastrous landslide. Throughout the entire Tyrolean
period (from the late Middle Ages to the First World War), it was
the religious and political centre of the Valley. |
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The town was home to the local seat of
religious power, namely the Pieve di San Giovanni church and secular
power, the Giudizio court, which acted through the Torn de Vich. The
town was also the site of the Comunità Generale di Fassa (the main
form of self-government of the local people, which administered the
forests and pastures with regulations and a system of neighbourhoods
similar to the modern model of municipalities and
sub-municipalities) and of a group of Schützen who served to defend
the valley. The only aristocratic families in the area, the Massars
and Savoys, also lived here.
Vigo today has a population of just over a thousand. While its
economy is almost entirely based on tourism – it is the ideal base
for summer excursions and winter skiing holidays – a number of farms
and traditional craftsman businesses still survive to this day. The
sense of Ladin identity is alive and well here, as it indeed is
throughout the entire valley. San Giovanni is home to the Istitut
Cultural Ladin ‘Majon di Fascegn’ and of the Mujeo Ladin de Fascia,
two extremely interesting sites for anyone interested in this
ancient and unique ethnic and linguistic minority. |
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