They came from the north, the smallest autonomous region in northern Italy. Small, but not without distinction. Vallee D’Aosta. The crazy warrior, Hannibal — a name you may remember from high school history — marched through the town of Aosta (founded in 25 BC) on his great winter march. 

Several different governments claimed the Aosta Valley over the years, prominently being the Romans, who built irrigation canals in and around the valley, carrying water to other areas. Napoleon squatted there for a while, and for a long time, citizens of the valley, known as valdostanis, spoke either French or Italian, or more prominently a mix of the languages, a patois that is still spoken today.