The Romanche: One River, Two Villages

The Romanche River has left its imprint on the villages of Villar d'Arène and La Grave, located along its course. In Latin, 'arena' designates sand resulting from the decomposition of sedimentary rocks, characteristic of the bed of this river. Thus, the village of Villar d'Arène, meaning 'Village of Sand', owes its name to the sand carried by the Romanche. Similarly, the village of La Grave, located below, takes its name from the Gaulish word 'grava' which also means sand. It is interesting to note that only the name of Villar d'Arêne was Latinized, whereas La Grave kept its older name, despite the Roman attempts to rename it 'Arenas inferiores'.