Oulx (, , ) is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (municipality) in the

Metropolitan City of Turin The Metropolitan City of Turin (; Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ''sità metropolitan-a 'd Turin'') is a Metropolitan cities of Italy, metropolitan city in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Turin. It replaced the prov ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

region

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

, located about west of

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, in the

Susa Valley The Susa Valley (; ; ; ; ) is a valley in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont region of northern Italy, located between the Graian Alps in the north and the Cottian Alps in the south. It is one of the longest valleys of the Italian Alps. ...

on the border with

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Names

Like many other towns in the Susa Valley, Oulx has different names reflecting the area's multiple linguistic traditions. One theory of the name's origin is that it derives from Ulkos, the name of a leader of the

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

Salassi The Salassi or Salasses were a Gallic or Ligurian tribe dwelling in the upper valley of the Dora Baltea river, near present-day Aosta, Aosta Valley, during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''dià Salassō̃n'' (δ� ...

tribe.Note di toponomastica: Periodo Pre-Romano.
Accessed 25 September 2008. Another theory holds that the derivation is from Ultor, a title of the god

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

, to whom a temple in the area was dedicated. These names were first rendered as ''Ulces'', and later ''Ulcium'' on maps in the Middle Ages, in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

. From the older forms, the name became ''Olcs'' in the

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

language and was later

Francized Francization (in American English, Canadian English, and Oxford English) or Francisation (in other British English), also known as Frenchification, is the expansion of French language use—either through willful adoption or coercion—by more a ...

as ''Oulx''. As part of Italian

Fascist Italianization Italianization ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is the spread of Italian culture, language and identity by way of integration or assimilation. It is also known for a process organized by the Kingdom of Italy to force cultural and ethnic assimilation of the nati ...

, Oulx was renamed Ulzio from 1928 to 1947. However, this form is considered etymologically incorrect, deriving from the Latin ''"Ultium"'' rather than ''"Ulcium"''. Today, the municipality is called ''Oulx'' in

and

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

, ''Ours'' in the local Cisalpine

Vivaro-Alpine Vivaro-Alpine () is a variety of Occitan spoken in southeastern France (namely, around the Dauphiné area) and northwestern Italy (the Occitan Valleys of Piedmont and Liguria). There is also a small Vivaro-Alpine enclave in the Guardia Piemontes ...

subdialect; using an alternate orthography), ''Ors'' in standard Occitan (using classical orthography), and ''Ols'' in

Piedmontese Piedmontese ( ; autonym: or ; ) is a language spoken by some 2,000,000 people mostly in Piedmont, a region of Northwest Italy. Although considered by most linguists a separate language, in Italy it is often mistakenly regarded as an Italian ...

as well as in the Cisalpine Occitan standard (using classical orthography).

Geography

There are three parts of the village of Oulx proper: Borgo Superiore (local ), Borgo Inferiore (''Plan e Poyà'' or simply ''Ël Plan''), and Abadia (''Baîë''). In addition to Oulx proper, the municipality includes the ''

frazioni A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' (districts) of Amazas (local ), Auberges (''Oouberja''), Beaulard (''Bioulâ''), Beaume (''Baoumë''), Chateau-Beaulard (''Chaté''), Clots (''Clos''), Constans (''Coutan''), Gad (''Ga''), Monfol (''Mounfol''), Pierremenaud (''Piarmenaou''), Puy (''Peui''), Royeres (''Rouliera''), San Marco (''Sa' Mar''), Savoulx (''Savou''), Signols (''Signoou''), Soubras (''Ël Soubrâ''), Vazon (''Lou Vazoun''), and Villard (''Viarâ'').Le frazioni / Lâ frazioun
at the official commune website. Accessed 25 September 2008. Oulx is served by Oulx-Claviere-Sestriere railway station on the Turin-Modane railway.

Twin towns

Saint-Donat-sur-l'Herbasse Saint-Donat-sur-l'Herbasse (; Vivaro-Alpine: ''Sant Donat'') is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. The writer and literary prizes winner Isabelle Hausser was born in Saint-Donat. Population Twin towns — sister citi ...

, France (1988)

Notable natives

French Revolutionist

Joseph Chalier Joseph Chalier (1747–1793) was a French lawyer and revolutionary politician who was active in Lyon. Chalier was born in Oulx, Beaulard, Susa Valley, Piedmont. As a young man, Chalier's family hoped he would take a career in the church. But ins ...

was born in the village of

Beaulard Beaulard is a frazione of the comune of Oulx, Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, Italy. It had been a separate commune before 1928. It has a railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using whe ...

, now a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' of Oulx. Oulx was the birthplace of Luigi (Louis) Des Ambrois (1807–74), an Italian unification-era politician and jurist, who served as chairman of the Senate of the Kingdom ''(Senato del Regno)'' shortly before his death.

Sports

Giovanni Goccione Giovanni Enrico Goccione (???? – 6 December 1952) was an Italian footballer who played as midfielder. Career Goccione was an employee at the ''Società Assicurazioni Incendi'' in Turin. He played for Juventus for 11 seasons. Goccione played ...

(?-1952), Italian footballer

References

External links

Official commune website

Oulx.org
{{authority control