Trepalle


Trepalle is a village in the Italian Alps, a frazione of Livigno, Lombardy. It is considered to be the village located at the highest altitude in Europe. Some argue instead that the village of Juf in Switzerland is Europe's highest with permanent population, although the same maybe claimed by the Georgian village Ushguli located between 2100 m and 2200 m in Caucasus mountains.
Trepalle is located above Livigno between the Foscagno Pass and the Eira Pass. The northern part of the village, by the Eira Pass, is one of the main skiing areas of Livigno. As part of the comune of Livigno, it is also a duty-free area.
The name of this village means "three balls" in Italian, mistranslated from Trevalle, which means "three valleys". In fact, Trepalle is reachable from three different valleys: Val Trela, Val di Foscagno and Vallaccia.
The village's former priest, Don Alessandro Parenti, inspired Italian writer Giovanni Guareschi for the character of Don Camillo.