The small village of Torre Pellice is located about 60 km West of Turin. Some people refer to the city in the Cottish Alps which has 5,000 inhabitants as the capital of the Waldensian Church. With 27,000 members it is Italy’s most important Protestant minority church.

Petrus Valdes (Waldes) – a rich French merchant – initiated a move­ment of poor people and itinerant preachers at the end of the 12^th century in Lyon due to a major famine in the countryside. He spent his assets on beggars and outcasts of society and since then has been considered the founder of the Waldensian Church. In the 16^th century the Waldensians joined the Refor­mation.