The Walser
The Walser are not a people in itself, like their name could lead us to think. These Germanic colonists were peasants from the german part of the high Valais. They emigrated to Italy in many waves.
Today, what still ties them to Valais is the knowledge of a common origin and the base of a common language. This ancient colony of peasants became, thanks to technical progress, an excursion goal well appreciated by Italians (see under Macugnaga and Gressoney).
The Walser still maintain, today, a style and a culture of their own. They also speak a very interesting and diversified language that is however facing extinction. Lately, the Walser community has undertook efforts to maintain their cultural heritage.
