Pila (Gressan)
Pila - or Pilaz - is a district in the municipality of Gressan in the Aosta Valley , Italy and a sports area.
The field name pilaz, which is also known in other areas of the Western Alps, is an expression of the Franco-Provençal dialect. In the Aosta Valley patois it is pronounced without the final z.
The area is located in the southern section of the municipality of Gressan on the mountainside under the massif of the Punta della Valle at an altitude of 1800 m slm . In the former agricultural area with some alpine settlements, a large winter sports area with facilities up to the Drincpass at 2555 m slm was created in the second half of the 20th century . The village can be reached via a road from Gressan and a cable car built in 1957 and renovated in 2008, the valley station of which is at Aosta train station .
From 1922 to 1979 the Cogne – Eaux-Froides mining railway operated, which transported iron ore from the neighboring Cognetal to Eaux-Froides , an area near Pila. From there, the material was brought to the steelworks of the Cogne Acciai Speciali company in Aosta by cable car .
The Pila ski area comprises slopes with a length of 70 kilometers, which are accessible with several chairlifts . One of the largest Italian ski schools operates in Pila .
In the summer half of the year, the area of the ski domain is used for mountain biking . In 2005 the Mountain Bike World Cup took place in Pila, in 2008 the Italian national championship.
Web links
- Pila ski area website (French)