6News / Italians from Turino founded the Burke County town of Valdese.

By LISA RANTALA / 6NEWS
E-mail Lisa: LRantala@WCNC.com

6NEWS
Italians from Turino founded the Burke County town of Valdese.

6NEWS' Olympics coverage is capturing many picturesque scenes and hot spots in Italy. But Carolinians don't have to travel thousands of miles to experience the culture.

That's because hundreds of people from that region landed in the Carolinas years ago.

Before the ski jumpers, before the bobsledders another group populated the Italian Alps. And like the Olympians, this group faced major obstacles.

Gus Tron is Waldensian. He tells the story of his people who kept to the Italian valleys since the 12th century. Tron said the Roman Catholic Church discriminated against his ancestors because of their beliefs.

"Not being allowed to own land outside of those valleys, not being allowed to build churches," Tron said.

And when that land became scarce;

"Land became so fragmented and overpopulated," Tron said.

Hundreds sought the American Dream and landed in Burke County.

"They showed me pictures of the town," Tron said.

At $1.25 an acre in 1893, these Waldensians developed their new community miles away from Morganton.

"The Waldensians built their church in 1899. Six years after they founded Valdese since they were Protestant, they linked with a faith that was the most similar so this became Presbyterian affiliated," Tron said. "My father had come to be the pastor of the Waldensian Church."

True to their beliefs, pastor Tron's congregation read their own bibles, made their own interpretations and followed ministers who could marry freely. But one other belief could not be left behind their belief of a fine wine.

"And then you drink it," Tron said. "That was something they had with each one of their meals and took it even to work in the fields."

Freddy Leger works in the Waldensian winery in Valdese. That's where they follow tradition in every wine making step even the use of a wheat straw filter.

"It doesn't do much filtering, but because they did it that's what we'll do," Leger said.

And as their Italian heritage now makes the Olympic small screen these folks said people don't have to travel much farther to experience it for themselves.

About 200 Waldensians came to Burke County in the late 1800's. Today the population in Valdese stands at 4,600.

Historians say 40 percent of the people living in Valdese can be traced back to the Italian Alps, but only a handful still speak Italian.

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