Page 4 - Guida di Claviere e Montgenevre

it a renowned ski resort. Since ancient times the Monginevro Pass, one of the Introduction
best ways for crossing the Alps, was an important site for stops and transit
routes which linked Arles to Milan.
Before Emperor Napoleon I built the mountain pass road, there used to be a
mule-track. After Charlemagne’s death and the fall of his empire in 879 A.D. the-
se Alps and the adjacent mountain territories were passed to the ‘Reign of Pro-
vence’ and later in 1030 the new state of Dauphinate was created which made
up part of the Reign of France. Following the concession of the Chart of Freedom
given by the Dauphin XII in 1343 the Republic of Escarton was formed in the
Dauphin’s territory and with the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), the lands of the Alta
Valle Susa were given to the Savoy. During the centuries the history of Claviere,
was linked to malevolent episodes, or to bad weather (landslides and floods) in
1783 and in 1789. The present settlement of the village (between 1773 and
1780), dates back to just after the building of the Chapel (1770). By 1920 the
progressive spread of skiing and the recent bourgeois culture of competitions
(the 1° International Ski Competition was held in 1907 between Claviere and
Montgenèvre) soon contributed to give a new description of tourism and sport to
this small border village. Among the pioneers of skiing who settled in Claviere,
E. Santi has to be mentioned; a sportsman (with Mezzalama was the protagonist
of the 1° Claviere-Bardonecchia crossing) and a well known excursionist, throu-
gh the use of his artistic photography, like few others, he was able to express
refined and distressing images of his contemplative passion for landscapes. In
1949 he was also the author of the ‘Handbook of Skiing’ in which he went
against the new skiing techniques which were, according to him, too ‘modern’.
After hosting the Italian Ski Championships, in 1926, Claviere became one of
the most qualified spots for winter sports. For this reason it was chosen as an
Olympic training site during the 2006 Winter Olympic Games.
In 1933 in a valuable small tourist book of the Valle di Susa one can read: ‘As
a whole in Claviere one can have a very elegant life, both in the summer and
in the winter, but specially in this latter season, since the village has become
one of the most renowned winter sports resorts in Italy as well as in Europe.’
A ‘very elegant’ life linked to the practice of the elite sport of golf which has
been popular in Claviere since 1929 with its 9-hole golf course (2,428m), well
structured on the rough green ground. During the II World War Claviere experien-
ced disastrous military actions, that completely destroyed this small village by
shellfire and did not spare the church (re-built in 1949). An underground crypt
was built in 1968 (sculptor L. Colli). Inside the church in addition to the works
of the painters M. Baretta and G. Cena is also to be mentioned the plaster cast
sculpture of the ‘Madonna’.
All the services and tourist facilities available make a stay in Claviere not only
comfortable in regards to hotel and accommodation, but can also satisfy the
many requests of high profile tourism. In addition to the golf course and 2 ski
schools, one can find a cross country skiing track, alpine skiing, artificial snow
system, and a sports centre (swimming pool, football, volley ball, tennis).

Claviere, rifugio sulle piste
(Collezione privata).