The Alpine population of Argentera Valley, Sauze di Cesana, Province of Turin, Italy: vestiges of an Occitan culture and anthropo-ecology

Abstract

The mountain community of the Argentera Valley, in the Sauze di Cesana municipal district, Province of Turin, Italy, stands as a simple world within the rationale of the evolution of living beings, blending biological development and genetics. This agro-pastoral population is a microcosm that has worked for millennia to improve its conditions and survival, by protecting pasturelands and raising livestock, determined by a sense of morality. Hence, the preliminary indication of the health of the territory: clean air, pure water, healthy soil, a limpid light because the air is free from pollution. Over the millennia, this community has maintained, as its central approach, consideration for its roots, feeding themselves and achieving an equilibrium in the process, thanks to the honest use of resources. Human life, the earth, water, livestock, are material goods, but at the same time are considered spiritual goods, hence the concept of “prioritising the territory” and with hard work, producing dairy products, the result of an expert balance of human practices, blessed by their Patron Saint Restituto, Martyr of the Theban Legion. This “path of milk and cheese” is the result of a history of five millennia that continues to keep the economy of this Alpine area alive. A knowledge of the good practices of the Argentera Valley is useful for creating public awareness and supporting ethical principles and good health.