The Glorious Repatriation of the Waldensians

A 250 km march over 12 days across the Savoy region by a thousand men, led by the Waldensian pastor Henri Arnaud, who fought against the French troops to defend their valleys in August 1689. This, in a nutshell, was the Glorious Return of the Waldensians, which this itinerary celebrates by retracing their steps.This feat has always aroused a great deal of interest, first of all from the military aspect: Napoleon was deeply impressed and in 1872 the Italian War Ministry instructed Captain Gallet to repeat the itinerary on foot. Secondly, the Return was made known from the tourist point of view by various travellers, especially English, in pursuit of authentic nature and people capable of simple living. In the 19th century, there was renewed attention to the event within the Waldensian church as well: for the 1889 celebrations, a group of six Waldensians retraced the itinerary on foot from Lake Geneva to the Waldensian Valleys; a similar initiative was also undertaken in 1989, this time with the participation of about a hundred people.This route is now part of Europe's Cultural Routes Programme: the "Huguenot and Waldensian Trail" which runs from the south of France, through Switzerland, to Northern Germany.

The itinerary was the object of promotion within the platform as part of the PITEM M.I.T.O. – Outdoor OFF - Interreg Italy-France Cross-Border Cooperation Program ALCOTRA 2014-2020.