Livigno History

Livigno was first mentioned in in some Medieval documents, where it was called “Vinea et Vineola” and identified as high mountain pastures under the control of Venosta Family in the 1100 AD. Around the end of 14th Century an independent parish was set up, which means that a village inhabited all year round existed. Since the beginning, Livigno’s history has been linked to the one of rest of Alta Valtellina. It was at first under the control of the Dukes of Milan , then, after a short period under France, the Grisons took control over it, and kept it for about 3 centuries, almost without interruptions.
In 1797 Livigno became part of the Cisalpina Republic, then of the Austro- Hungarian reign, and, finally, it was included in Italian reign in 1859.

Livigno has enjoyed custom benefits for Centuries. Already in the 16th Century this village, which was difficult to reach for many months during the year, had a special duty free status, while some benefits date back to the late Middle Ages.
These privileges were confirmed later on, first by the Austro- Hungarian Kingdom then by Italy and, most recently, by the EEC.

The first two ski lifts opened in 1959.
The greater tourist development occurred in 1965 when the “Munt la Schera” tunnel was inaugurated, opening the valley to new markets. In this way the village was linked to Northern Europe via the Engadine valley, as well as to South and North-East Italy via the Brennero motorway system. So began the growth in the tourism industry in Livigno.