What is "trepalle"

Trepalle is a village (the highest in Italy) in the Italian Alps, a frazione of Livigno, Lombardy. It is considered to be the village located at the highest altitude in Europe (2,069 m at the parish church, with the village stretching up to the Passo d'Eira, at 2,209 m). Some argue instead that the village of Juf in Switzerland (at 2,126 m) is Europe's highest.

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.