Salbertrand

Already documented from the XI century, the village of Salbertrand develops thanks to the crossing of the ancient street of France, around which between houses significant architectural and monumental fountains at the time it is reported even an ancient hotel for travelers, the Hotel Dieu.

The parish church of San Giovanni Battista in the main square is one of the sacred buildings the most important of the high valley with a porch and a stone portal work of as a stonecutter Matteo Rude of Melezet. The interior is richly decorated with frescoes dating back to between the XIV century and the XVI century and a retable the work of Jean Faure of Thures.

The mountain of Salbertrand presents a wooded slope rich fir trees that are the heart of the Natural Park of the Gran Bosco di Salbertrand that extends on the side exposed to the north of the Alta Valle di Susa involving also the municipalities valsusini of Chiomonte, Exilles, Salbertrand, Oulx and Sauze d'Oulx for over 3,700 hectares, from 1,000 meters asl to 2,600 of the watershed with the peaks of the mountains Genevris (2,500 m), Blegier (2.550 m), Gran Costa (2,600 m) and Gran Serin (2,589 m).

Inside the park, the Ecomuseum Colombano Romean collects the memories of land and water of the community through a ring-route. Are part of the sections can be visited the Ecomuseo The Hydraulic mill of the Community of Salbertrand and wood oven of Oulme fraction that allow to document the complete cycle of bread by linking the various moments of the processing of cereals and illustrating the links between the world of work and the household.

The Museum of the Treasures of the Parish Church hosted in the sacristy of the Church of San Giovanni Battista, and the Chapel of the Annunciation of the Oulme, recently returned to its ancient splendour, testify to the devotion and the wisdom of a Community closely linked to their own traditions. Along the main street, two monumental stone fountains and the Hotel Dieu documenting the importance of Borgo di Salbertrand along the historic route of the road of France.

There are also visitable the nineteenth-century icebox and a wooden reconstruction to blockbau of the prototype of the smoke sauna designed by the great Finnish architect Alvar Aalto for his house experimental Muuratsalo (Finland), a carbonyl Hague with the different phases of preparation of a charcoal pile in Bosco, the Calcara, forest dockyard and the section dedicated to Glorieuse Rentrée.

Among the events of projection you indicate the Patronal Feast of St John in June and the process to the Carnival of Shrove Tuesday.

Salbertrand Carnival
next to the parade of allegorical floats are inserted still today the ancient traditions and propitiatory rituals such as the distribution of turtiòu, the reading of the testament of the Carnival and the Bonfire of the Phantom of the carnival, next to modern music, traditional melodies of Müsiccä, the musicians of the musical band of Salbertrand. The party starts on Sunday and opens with a parade that passes through the main streets of the town and is composed of the allegorical floats and a wagon equipped with stove, on which are cooked the turtiòu (pancakes of water, salt and flour) which are distributed in exchange for money, food or drinks. The Tuesday evening repeats the parade accompanied by music and phantom of carnival that is made to skip and dance among the public. The Phantom of the carnival (Carnavà), called clown, is carried out each year by the young people of the country using jute sacks, straw or hay. Often, it accompanies a snowman similar but smaller, the small Carnival (Pchì Carnavà). At the end of the parade of Shrove Tuesday, the phantom is put at the center of the square and is read the testament, in which they are reported in the form of satire, all events worthy of note that occurred in the arc of the year; subsequently the phantom is blown and accompanied by the music of the band is bale turning and jumping around the campfire.