La Thuile
A Village Within a Village
In 1938, alongside the technical facilities supporting coal extraction, Cogne inaugurated the miners’ village of Villaret. Thanks to the mine, La Thuile expanded beyond the hamlet of Bathieu, which until then had been little more than pastureland.
Miners spent endless hours in damp, dimly lit tunnels. The work was gruelling and physically exhausting. The constant use of heavy percussion tools, the effort required to push wagons and move heavy loads, and the often-awkward postures taken underground frequently led to illness and injury.
At the end of their shifts, the miners returned to workers’ houses that offered an unprecedented level of comfort for the time. A state-of-the-art infirmary, operating 24 hours a day, cared not only for the miners’ health but also served the wider La Thuile community.
The Infirmary
Built alongside the miners’ village, the Villaret infirmary provided round-the-clock, advanced medical care through a dedicated doctor and nursing team. Its facilities included a waiting room, surgery, X-ray room, operating theatre, administrative offices, and hospital rooms accommodating up to 20 beds, as well as a kitchen. Notable doctors during the mining era included Dr Montesano, Dr Rosso, and Dr Camerini.
After the mines closed in 1966, the infirmary continued to serve as the village’s health centre. In the early 1980s, plans were drawn up for the District Centre for Social and Health Services, which expanded the building to include an X-ray suite, plaster room, rehabilitation hall, and the Aosta Valley’s first residential care home for the elderly, with space for 11 residents.
Following healthcare reorganisation in 1990, the building housed general practitioner surgeries, the public health office, and a nursing clinic. In 1999, the nursery Il Grande Albero (“The Great Tree”) opened on the south side, and by 2010, the premises also became home to local associations — a testament to its continual evolution in service to the community.
The Workers’ Houses
From the 1930s onwards, the workers’ houses sheltered miners from many parts of Italy, including Veneto, Bergamo, Brescia, Piedmont, and the South.
Initially, there were four parallel buildings, three of which served as dormitories. The southernmost building, distinguished by its design, contained communal facilities: laundry, ironing rooms, and showers on the ground floor; kitchens, a workers’ canteen, a separate clerks’ canteen, a dance hall, and a bar on the first floor.
In 1942, a final building was added — a dormitory with 120 beds that later housed the bakery and general store. Heating was centralised, powered by a thermal plant located beside this building.
When the mines closed in 1966, the workers’ houses were gradually vacated. In 1985, DeltaSider, Cogne’s successor, transferred ownership of the buildings (excluding the mining facilities) to the Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley.
In 1987, the Region approved plans for the École des Neiges — a school-hotel complex incorporating the workers’ houses and adjacent land. The project aimed to create a boarding school and training centre for young winter-sport athletes, complete with a hotel, gymnasium, and sports grounds.
A football pitch, five-a-side pitch, playground, and service building were constructed, but after years of inactivity, the project was abandoned and the property sold by public auction in 2005.
Subsequent urban development plans approved residential and hotel use. Of the original workers’ houses, the two northern dormitories were restored, while the 1942 building along the road was only partially recovered.