What we usually call Gressoney is a long valley with a few small villages. However Gressoney Saint Jean is the most important village of them, Gressoney la Trinité, or Stafal, has become a touristic center where the Monterosa ski slopes have their midpoint.
This is an ideal village for those who like peace and real Italian character. Gressoney has reach culture and history rooted in the Walser tradition. The valley of Gressoney is called the Valle del Lys. The dialect spoken in the Lys Valley and especially in Gressoney la Trinitè and Stafal is originally a German language spoken by the original inhabitants of the region: the Walser. They are as important for the history of this Valley as they are for Alagna or Macugnaga.
Traditionally, it was used by the royal family of Italy, the Savoia, and their noble friends for hunting. There are hunting castles and villas that still remind the past. At the end of the 18th century Queen Margherita popularized climbing the high peaks of Monte Rosa, surrounding the Valley of Lys. From then on it became a tourist area for summer and thereafter for winter holidays.