Cogne

Cogne (Italian pronunciation: [ˈkɔɲɲe], French pronunciation: ​[kɔɲ]) is a town and comune in Aosta Valley, northern Italy, with 1439 inhabitants, as of 2012. Geography Cogne is located in the valley with the same name along a stream known as the Torrent Grand' Eyvia. It is the largest municipality in the Valle d'Aosta. Cogne is 140 kilometres (87 mi) from Turin, 160 kilometres (99 mi) from Geneva and 26.5 kilometres (16.5 mi) from Aosta. The town center of Cogne, called "Veulla" (meaning "town center" in the local Arpitan language), is surrounded by four valleys: South: the Valnontey valley, which leads to the slopes of Gran Paradiso; North: the Grauson valley; South-east, the Urtier valley and Valleille; East, the Gimillan valley. A large meadow, known as the Sant'Orso meadow (Prati di Sant'Orso), is located at the southern edge of the town center (webcam); the municipal statute forbids any construction works on this meadow, which has received recognition as a "Wonder of Italy". History The population of Cogne originates from the Arpitane valleys of the Piedmont region. In the past, economic relations, and trade routes were directed to these valleys, using muletracks and mountain passes, like the colle del Rancio or the colle dell'Arietta. The economic influence of the Aosta Valley is more recent. Until the 1970s, Cogne was an important mining center for the extraction of iron ore. The main mineral veins were exploited in the mines of Colonne, Licony e Larsinaz. The ore (mainly magnetite) was transported for processing to the Cogne steel plant in Aosta using a narrow gauge railway. The mines were closed in 1979. Recent natural disasters that have hit the region include the flood of 1993 and that of October 15, 2000, when more than 400 millimetres (16 in) of rain fell in two days, causing inundations and landslides. Sport Cogne is an international center of cross country skiing with 70 kilometres (43 mi) of trails. There are also 9 kilometres (6 mi) of downhill runs, many walks on the snow and more than 140 icefalls. During the summer, hiking and mountain biking are popular. Main sights Ibex, wild goat, marmots, royal eagles are easy to see. Many walks and hikes of different level, to lakes, waterfalls and other natural attraction. Giardino Alpino Paradisia, an alpine botanical garden Pont d'Aël, a Roman bridge nearby crossing the Cogne Valley more than 60 metres (200 ft) above the bottom Trivia Cogne is also famous for the Cogne Homicide. References External links Media related to Cogne at Wikimedia Commons