Day of Historical Linguistic Minorities in Oulx

Angelo Masset was convinced that, without written documentation, the Occitan dialect of Rochemolles was destined to disappear. He devoted over five years—working at least eight hours a day—to recording eight thousand words in a dictionary and a grammar book. Twenty-nine years after that publication, his story is being brought to the stage and to schools in Oulx as part of the 15th Historical Linguistic Minorities Day, which this year coincides with the historic 532nd edition of the *Fiera Franca del Grand Escarton* fair.
Promoted by the Municipality of Oulx and the Upper Susa Valley, the initiative focuses on the preservation and promotion of Occitan, Franco-Provençal, and French—three languages ​​that form the historical soul of these valleys.

EVENT PROGRAM
Friday, October 2 – Schools meet the teacher
From 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM, the "Luigi Des Ambrois" State Higher Education Institute in Oulx will host a session titled "The Stories of Teacher Angelo Masset: A Key Figure for the Occitan Language of the Upper Susa Valley." Curated by Renato Sibille and Roberto Micali for the ArTeMuDa APS association, the event combines historical testimony with theatrical performance to convey the value of local linguistic roots to students.

Saturday, October 3 – An afternoon and evening at the Des Ambrois Institute
Starting at 4:00 PM—again at the Des Ambrois Institute, which is hosting the entire day's events—a session dedicated to promoting the linguistic minorities protected by Law 482/99 will begin. The program includes official greetings and a tribute to Ines Cavalcanti—who passed away prematurely at the age of 74—in the presence of Giacomo Lombardo, President of Chambra d'Oc. Moderated by Luca Martin Poetto, the event features the premiere of the Occitan translation of the famous novel *Fontamara* by Ignazio Silone—one of the most important Italian writers and intellectuals of the 20th century. Translated by Franco Bronzat, the presentation includes live readings that highlight the work's expressive power.

The afternoon concludes with a theatrical performance titled *Settemilesettecento parole, finché qualcuno le pronuncia – L'eredità del Maestro di Rochemolles Angelo Masset* ("7,700 Words, Until Someone Speaks Them – The Legacy of Angelo Masset, the Schoolmaster of Rochemolles"). Created by Renato Sibille and Roberto Micali for ArTeMuDa APS, the piece honors the crucial role of research and the value of Masset’s *Dictionary of the Provençal Patois of Rochemolles*—a work published in 1997 to combat cultural oblivion.

At 9:00 PM, the day ends on a festive note at the Des Ambrois Institute: the group Parenaperde takes the stage to present the results of their research into local traditional music and dance—conducted in collaboration with ArTeMuDa APS—through a concert and folk celebration open to the entire community.

Info: 3284730692.

Attachments

download

poster (482.7 KB)

download

press release (400.4 KB)

Related place

list map

Municipality of Oulx - Oulx