Foresteria Valdese, Torre Pellice

Check in: 08:30 (8:30am) - 19:00 (7:00pm) (arrivals may be allowed outside this window if your travel plans can't be adjusted however this is subject to availability)

Check out: 00:00 (12:00am) - 09:30 (9:30am)

History

The Waldensians are Christians who belong to the family of churches that adhered to the Reformation of the sixteenth century, even if the Waldensians have a much older history. The Waldensians, in fact, take their name from a rich Lyonnaise merchant, Valdo, who around 1170 stripped himself of his possessions and chose to live like the apostles by preaching the Gospel.

The movement of the Poor of Lyon was born, which pursued pauperism and rejected violence and compromises with power, choosing to obey only the Bible and therefore questioning one of the foundations of the authority of the Church: the bishop. The movement, excommunicated by the Roman church, dispersed and went underground for over three centuries. Throughout the seventeenth century in the Waldensian valleys periods of peace alternated with the Savoy repression and the Inquisition.

In 1685 the revocation of the Edict of Nantes denied the Huguenots the right to exist. The Savoy, allies of the Sun King, force the Waldensians to choose between abjuration, death or exile: many Waldensians will end up in Piedmontese prisons, while the others will choose exile. But already three years later, thanks to international circumstances, about 900 men will be able to return to their lands.

The episode is known as the Glorious Repatriation. For 150 years the Waldensians will live locked up in their valleys suffocated by a series of decrees collected from an edict of 1730. Only the French Revolution and Napoleon will represent a small parenthesis that will end in 1814, when following the fall of Napoleon, also in Piedmont the monarchical and Catholic restoration will return.Will have to wait for the edict issued by Carlo Alberto on February 17, 1848 for the Waldensians to become free citizens with full civil rights. After 1848 the cultural and social commitment is at the center of the attention of the Waldensian church: the many works that arose in the nineteenth century (schools, hospitals, retirement homes, cultural centers) have been expanded and modernized and today throughout Italy there are cultural and social welfare institutes strongly rooted in the territorial realities in which they operate.

Currently there are about 30,000 Italians who are members of the Waldensian and Methodist churches, of these about 15,000 resident in Piedmont. The organization is synodal: each community is directed by a council elected by the assembly of the faithful and the church as a whole is directed by the Synod. The ministries of the church (pastors and deacons) can be accessed by men and women, single or married. Ecumenical dialogue with other confessions has always characterized the Waldensians, present in ecumenical organizations at the international and national level.

The Waldensians support the separation of the church from the state, rejecting any policy of a concordat type. Relations with the state are governed by agreements signed in 1984, which do not sanction any privilege for the church. The Waldensians provide for the expenses of worship with offerings from their members; the eight per thousand personal income tax deductions assigned to the Waldensian churches are intended exclusively for interventions in the welfare and cultural fields or to support projects in the countries of the Southern hemisphere.

Food & beverage

The buffet breakfast with fresh and genuine products, the garden where to enjoy the enchanting view and relax sitting under the shade of the pergolas, the rooms equipped for meetings and the friendly staff will make the holiday unforgettable.

Grounds & Gardens

The large garden of the Foresteria, framed by the peaks of the Alps, will give you an atmosphere of peace and tranquility intoxicated by the scent of rhododendrons. There are tables, chairs and benches that make it the ideal place to relax and enjoy a good book or simply the crisp mountain air.

Other facilities

The structure offers the possibility of organizing meetings thanks to the common areas available to the guests. The rooms are equipped with chairs, tables, screens and projectors on request. Wi-fi is available in all common areas, including the garden.