Cogne

Cogne (French: [kɔɲ], Italian: [ˈkɔɲɲe];[3] Issime Walser: Kunji) is a town and comune (municipality) in Aosta Valley, northern Italy, with 1439 inhabitants, as of 2012.

Cogne
Comune
Comune di Cogne Commune de Cogne
Coat of arms
Location of Cogne
Cogne Location of Cogne in Italy Show map of Italy Cogne Cogne (Aosta Valley) Show map of Aosta Valley
Coordinates: 45°36′28.62″N 7°21′20.16″E
Country	Italy
Region	Aosta Valley
Frazioni	Veulla, Boutillères, Champlong, Crétaz, Épinel, Gimillan, Moline, Montroz, Lillaz, Valnontey
Government
• Mayor	Franco Allera
Area [1]
• Total	212 km^2 (82 sq mi)
Elevation	1,534 m (5,033 ft)
Population  (30 November 2012)[2]
• Total	1,544
• Density	7.3/km^2 (19/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Cogneins
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	11012
Dialing code	0165
Patron saint	Ursus of Aosta
Saint day	1 February
Website	Official website

Geography

Panorama of the Cogne Valley in August 2015.

The St Ursus Meadow is still used to gather hay for livestock.

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 Aosta Valley. 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 St Ursus Meadow (It. Prati di Sant'Orso; Fr. Prés de Saint-Ours), 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".[4][5]

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 Rancio Pass or the Arietta Pass. 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.[6]

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

Crime

Cogne was the seat of the Cogne Homicide.

References

1. "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Istat. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
2. "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Istat. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
3. Bruno Migliorini et al. (2007). "Cogne". Dizionario italiano multimediale e multilingue d'ortografia e di pronunzia. Rai Eri. ISBN 978-88-397-1478-7.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
4. Cogne, i prati di Sant'Orso sono una "Meraviglia Italiana". - AostaSera.it
5. Prateria di S. Orso - Cogne - sito paesaggistico
6. Official tourism site

External links

Media related to Cogne at Wikimedia Commons