Maurienne

Former Savoy province

Maurienne is one of the provinces of Savoy, corresponding to the arrondissement of Saint Jean de Maurienne in France. It is also the original name of the capital of the province, now Saint Jean de Maurienne.

The Maurienne valley is one of the great transverse valleys of the Alps. The river which has shaped the valley since the last glaciation is the Arc. The valley begins at the village of Écot (in the commune of Bonneval sur Arc), at the foot of the Col de l'Iseran, and ends at the confluence of the Arc and the Isère in the commune of Aiton. The mountains on the southern side are the Dauphiné Alps and the Cottian Alps. On the northern side are the part of the Graian Alps known as the Vanoise. The capital, Saint Jean de Maurienne, lies at the confluence of the Arc and the Arvan.

The abundance of hydro electric power (there are twenty four hydroelectric stations in the valley) created heavy industry such as electrochemical plants and aluminum refining, but now the emphasis in the area is on tourism, especially winter sports. Numerous ski resorts line the valley, from the small villages like Albiez Montrond to the purpose built resorts, dating from the 1970s like Le Corbier and Les Karellis. The Vanoise National Park and its protected surroundings are a major tourist attraction. Alpine ibex, grey wolves, lynx, royal eagles or vultures are among the many rare species that live in the numerous valleys of Maurienne. The famous but rare and expensive Bleu de Termignon cheese is made in the commune of Termignon in the Haute Maurienne near the Italian border.

The region has numerous traces of human habitation since the Paleolithic. In 1032, Humbert the White Handed received the Maurienne, his native land, from Conrad II the Salian whom he had helped in his Italian campaigns against Aribert, Archbishop of Milan. The House of Savoy maintained their independence as counts and then dukes until Savoy was linked with the Kingdom of Sardinia, which included Piedmont in north western Italy. In the Maurienne are a series of five forts, La Barrière de l'Esseillon, that were created by the Sardinians in the early 19th century to protect Piedmont from a French invasion. The Maurienne was not incorporated into France until 1860, as part of the political agreement with Napoleon III that brought about the unification of Italy. Despite this, the Maurienne and the Tarentaise valleys are classified as French towns and lands of Art and History.

The Maurienne valley is home to around 20 ski resorts. There is also access to The Three Valleys via the Orelle gondola.