"A twinning is a meeting of two villages, which declare their wish to associate with each over in a European view to fight problems together and to create stronger friendship links".
This quote resumes Mr Jean Bareth’s ideal, one of the founder members of the European villages and countries Council. This idea is used by
Saint Julien Montdenis’s
friends celebrating the twinning with Villar Focchiardo. This event has been officialised on the 2nd and 3rd of September 2000 in the French village and in Italy next year.
This twinning has got old origins which start in the late 60, when a friendship link was created between L’Echo Ardoisier of Sait Julien and the Villar Focchiardo Philharmonic society. This friendship got stronger through the years thanks to numerous exchanges such as concerts or visits.
Saint Julien Montdenis is in the Maurienne Valley and is at 660 meters high. About 1700 inhabitants are living in this village. It is a place which uses agriculture, livestock farming, cereal and vine farming. It is also known for its slate-grey extraction industry. Currently, the footbridge Bertholin (900 meters long and hanged at 100 meters over the torrent) can still be observed. It has been used to gain access to the slate quarries when they were still in use.
The Tour Octogonale (the octagonal tower) is in the middle of the village was part of the XVI century fort. It has been restaureated in 1992 and is now the local library.
Our two villages are separated by only 80 kilometers, but this twinning is a concrete way for our two communities to have important culture and social exchanges. These exchanges, based on a mutual respect, help to increase our friendship links.
As our French friends declared, the construction of Europe can go ahead thanks to little villages such ours, with fraternity and friendship, which are guarantees for the union of all people.
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