 Before the Roman rule, according to Polybius, this area was covered in thick forests, with very few glades, some small villages and sparse tracks linking the settlements.In 143 BC, the Romans, led by consul Appius Claudius Pulcher (consul 143 BC), moved against the tribes living Orco and Dora Baltea valleys, to open a way towards Elvetia and Gaul.The Romans thought of a fast victory, but the Celtic tribes fought back with such a strength that the legions had initially to retreat.