Chianale is a small slate-house village immersed in the Provençal culture and placed in an ancient forest mentioned by Virgil in the Aeneid. It is an enchanting place crossed by the Chemin Royal, the old salt road travelled by traders to reach France. Chianale is also included in the Borghi più belli d’Italia (most beautiful villages in Italy).

The heart of the village is the stone bridge that crosses the Varaita, a stream that effectively divides Chianale into two parts. Not far away, you'll find the 14th-century church of Sant'Antonio: together with the Calvinist temple (now Casa Martinet), it bears witness to the religious past of the village, the only one in the valley where freedom of worship was permitted in the 17th century.