Connections have always been very important for this municipality, the road first and later on the railroad. But even from the Roman age, an active trade took place along this valley and through some crossing places. At times, these crossings were officially guarded as it happened in the XVIth century when a plague epidemic was looming. During the same century, in a moment of religious tension, the same crossing were used to transfer the Holy Shroud from Chambery to Turin. Frescoes in the Voragno hamlet and in Balme witness this event.
In the XIX century, Ceres began to be considered as a summer resort place thanks its position among many woods and chestnuts.
The railroad building is very important both for tourism and to connect with the county seat. The works started in 1868 and in 1876 the railroad reached Lanzo. In 1916 the mountain section, for about 44 km, is completed. In 1920 the line Turin-Ceres was the first railroad in the world to use high voltage direct current electric traction.
A peculiarity of this railroad is the fact that all stations of the mountain section are built in typical Swiss style: rectangular map, first and second class waiting rooms and four slopes roof. Another distinctive feature is the 50 meters span reinforced concrete railroad viaduct over the Val Grande Stura.
