The Chisone Valley and the Germanasca Valley are perhaps the least known regions of Piedmont. Val Chisone is a small valley village and is the perfect place to stay when you want to explore the Italian Alps. Whether you plan to ski in the winter or hike in the summer, you can pass through Val Chisone or make it your home base while on a holiday in Italy. You could consider one of the sprawling Alpine villas in Italy for a true luxury holiday.
The area has always been of strategic importance, being located on the border between Piedmont and France – the nearby Fenestrelle Fortress is testament to this. Perhaps the most interesting historical aspect of the valley is the fact that this is one of the few regions of Italy where a large part of the population are not Catholic. These valleys are home to the Waldensians.
Waldensians are a people who broke away from the Catholic Church in the 12th century under the leadership of Peter Waldo. Their history has been one of persecution and only in 1848 were they granted full religious freedom. The Waldensians are now joined to the Methodists in Italy but the people here have maintained an identity of their own and a proud and determined spirit.
While you are there, you could check out Sestriere and Usseaux. These towns are the main ski resorts in the area but even during summer Usseaux is well worth visiting. Usseaux is delightful, with narrow winding streets lined with attractive slate roofed houses in the traditional style of the area. It has been named as one of the most beautiful towns in Italy.
You could hire a car to explore these regions in the Piedmont region. Car hire in Italy is an easy task with a myriad of online hiring options. www.car-rental-italy.com is a leading car rental in Italy that rents cars on economy and has various packages to offer, especially for tourists.
Car Rental Italy provides cars for rent at economical rates and you also get a chance to choose from their fleet of cars. They have come up to facilitate all the tourists to provide them an easy, less pricy option to enjoy their holiday in Italy.