HISTORY

Before the current road there was a more direct, yet much more difficult route, known as the ‘Royal road of Fraele’. The towers, which date back to the 14th century, were built to defend this ancient trade route that ran from the Fraele valley to the old village of San Giacomo, which was flooded during the construction of the dams. From there it continued on to Santa Maria in Switzerland via the Val Mora. The original road clung to the steep valley between the towers, which was made accessible to pack animals and carts thanks to wooden gangways that would stick out over the edge, the ‘steps’ (‘scale’ in Italian) which gave their name to the mountain above, Monte Scale.