Villeneuve, castello di Aymavilles, Maison Anselmet, Petite Arvine, Chalet La Meridiana, Jambon de Bosses, Lard d’Arnad, fondue. Based on these things, where do you think I am? Anyone who thinks they know Italy might assume I’m not even in il bel paese. But where I am is evident to anyone who really knows Italy: the Valle d’Aosta.

Nestled in the Alps north of Piedmont, bordering France and Switzerland, the Valle d’Aosta is the smallest and least populous of Italy’s twenty regions. But its size and population is not reflective of its majesty. Valle d’Aosta vacillated between Savoy family jurisdiction and French rule before joining Italy in 1861: this dual heritage is reflected in the region’s official languages–French, Italian, and Valdôtain, a Franco-Provençal dialect.