In the lower Valle Maira, San Damiano Macra awaits you, a municipality that has hosted many notable figures over the centuries. In the 15th century, the town gained fame thanks to the splendid works of the Zabreri Brothers, natives of Pagliero; highly skilled stonemasons and sculptors. Giovanni Giolitti‘s grandfather was a notary in the town, and Giovanni himself spent some of his childhood years here. The family of Luigi Einaudi, the first President of the Italian Republic, also came from San Damiano Macra.

With 33 hamlets and villages, San Damiano Macra is the result of the merger of four independent municipalities: Pagliero, Lottulo, Paglieres, and San Damiano. Little remains of its past, partly due to a fire set by the Nazis in retaliation in 1944.

To gain a fresh perspective on the past, the Paths of Freedom have recently been restored. These are routes traveled by partisans during the resistance struggle, now marked and equipped with information centers, allowing you to literally walk through recent history.