Ancient rock drawings have been discovered in several sites in the Alpi Cozie, the name given to the mountain range surrounding Valle Pellice. Not much, however, remains in the region from Roman times. In the Middle Ages, the region was ruled by the Savoia family and several local lords such as those of Luserna. The average peasant had a difficult existence: The farming was mainly subsistence, with only 3% of the valley sowed, while shepherds roamed with their herds on the high pasture. Chestnuts and silkworm were among the first exports. Only much later, in the 19th century, would textile industries take form and begin to positively affect the life of the people.

Life in the Valle Pellice was irrevocably changed in the early 13th century, when followers of Waldo of Lyon found refuge here after escaping from France. A generation before St. Francis of Assisi (i.e. in the late 12th century), Waldo preached poverty as the way to salvation - unlike St. Francis he and his followers were excommunicated and declared heretics. The Waldenses were (and still are) a proselytizing crew, they spread throughout Europe and at the time of the reformation (16th century) aligned themselves with other Protestant nations. Valle Pellice is the original home of the Italian Waldenses; even today it and neighboring valleys are one of Italy's few Protestant centers. This uniqueness was hard won, however: for centuries, the Waldenses lived in ghetto-like settlements, separate from the rest of society and without full social freedoms. Often the target of attack by local lords and the Savoia, they successfully fought off threats on all except one occasion in the 17th century, when they were briefly exiled. The Protestant nations of Europe supplied some funding for the upkeep of the community, their one outpost in Italy. In fact through the 19th century English and Prussian envoys purposely made their way through the valley on the way their way to/from Italy; English and German tourists were among the few foreigners who knew about the region through the first half of the 20th century. But it wasn't until 1848 that the Waldenses achieved equality as citizens of the Savoia State.

Valle Pellice flourished through the later 19th century, thanks to the rise of textile factories, which brought in the first real manufacturing wealth. Writer Edmondo de Amicis called Torre Pellice the "Italian Geneva", complimenting its impressive cultural achievements (college, publishing house, newspapers, historical enclave) and welfare services (hospitals, orphanages, asylums). Particularly significant was the creation of a public school network. The small capital of the Waldense valleys assumed the character of both a Protestant and European city; an atmosphere it retains even today. In addition to being a religious enclave, Valle Pellice was also home to several different dialect languages. While Italian remains the official language, the Piedmontese dialect is still quite common. This dialect stems from Occitan, an important Provençal language that, while widespread in the Middle Ages, is presently spoken by very few in the valley.

The textile manufacturers started to close in mid-1900s, and combined with the great national movement to the cities Valle Pellice and its neighbors began to lose their workforce. The bulk of work opportunity still lies in the cities of Northern Italy, nearby Greater Torino having a great pull on the mountain valley youth. Thanks to tourism and regional funding in preparation for the Olympic Games, Valle Pellice has made a recent recovery. Authorities have already started to improve local roads and are looking to augment tourist facilities (hotel, restaurant, agriturismo). But will this much-needed funding, will the expected rise in visitors bring new prosperity to a region that has been depopulating since the 1960s? Clearly a good tourist infrastructure would be beneficial to the zone; hopefully this will not come at the expense of the valley's stupendous natural beauty and historic legacy. Only tasteful development, adhering strictly to the building codes of the zone should be allowed. The serenity of the mountains, pastures, lakes, forest and unspoiled villages are etched in each visitor's memory; it would be a great shame if this paradise were disturbed in any way. At the same time, intelligent tourism and ecological policy could turn around the economy of the valley. Agriturismi are especially fine: as working farm/inn/restaurants, they support both the agriculture and tourist elements of the region.