Heritage: Avise, La Salle, Saint-Nicolas, Saint-Pierre

Along the national road n. 26, in the proximity the village ofAvise, where nowdays stands a tunnel, the ancient Roman road of Gauls had to deal with a fearful bottleneck, which Roman engineering got around by cutting through the rock: it is the bottleneck of “Pierre Taillée”.

The area was also suitable for military surveillance, and this is why, above the tunnel, it is still possible to observe the remains of the fortifications which played a significant role during the French invasions of 1691 and 1704-1706.

Getting to Avise, the first building on the village’s left side, consisting in a three-storey construction with a square tower on its side is the Avise castle, built towards the end of the 15th century by Bonifacio or by Rodolfo d’Avise.

The tower’s machicolation embellishment is of particular interest, as well as the beautiful series of double ogee windows to be observed on the south side.

The monument hosts nowdays an accommodation facility with restaurant.

Near the parish church, you cannot miss the castle complex, consisting of a square tower (12th century) and a more recent main building (15th century) with exquisite cross windows.
The castle was once the residence of the powerful D’Avise family and only in 1645 did it go to the de Blonay brothers, who changed its name. The ancient towers was known as “des Prisons”: in 1787 the nobleman Philip de Blonay claimed joint rights with other lords in Avise to imprison wrong-doers. The tower was sold to local families by the Bianco family of San Secondo, while the annexed building was taken away from the Blonay.

As you come out of the municipal seat, on the edge of a promontory you find this partly destroyed fortified manor house.
Probably built in the 10th century, it is said that it belonged to Pierre d’Avise, vice-administrator of Aosta in 1425. In the second half of the century it was sold to Bonifacio Ducrest of Savoy, a ducal official.
The Ducrest family died out at the start of the 18th century.

Situated in the chief town, the building was erected on the foundations of another older, low, irregular and small one, which was entirely demolished. According to tradition, the parish church once stood between Runaz and Pierre Taillée, on the Roman road. When this church, dedicated to Saint Martin, was destroyed, along with the entire village of Runaz, by the armies who came through here around the 9th-10th century, it is said to have been rebuilt on the other side of the Dora, less exposed to military incursions and dedicated to Saint Brice, the disciple and successor of Saint Martin. In the year 1400, thanks to two benefactors (uncle and nephew) who were both called Antoine d’Avise, the belltower of the parish church was built by the Maestro Pierre Sella.

The chapel is located within the hamlet of Cerellaz, at a short distance from the municipality of Saint Nicolas.
Inside the eighteenth century building there is a large canvas showing the Descent from the Cross. Apart from two bishops, the saints Roch, Barbara and Gratus are also shown.

This fortified house was built by the D’Avise family close to the Gaul roman road in the village of Runaz. At the end of the 15th century Jean le Jeune, lord of Runaz, transformed the building into a residence, whose beautiful widows in late-gothic style, dating back to the 16th century are still admirable. Also worthy to see is the main entrance door.

The structure, which hosts ethnographic and historical exhibitions, is also the seat of the Association Valdôtaine des Archives Sonores who is responsible of its management.

The museum, situated in the first side chapel on the right of the Saint Brice parish church, hosts different sacred works coming both from the same church and from the chapels of the villages Vedun, Charbonnière, Cerellaz and Runaz.
The statues and sacred objects exposed cover a period of time going from 15th to 19th century: moreover, it is possible to admire an important series of goldsmith’s crafts and a textile manufacture probably created in an italian workshop active at half of the 18th century.

The renovations of the entire village of Fenêtre a La Salle (2000) represents a singular architectural entity, based on the reinterpretation and renewal of rural architecture with the creation of unexpected common rooms. The large panoramic openings that create gaps in the stone walls, the differently styled balconies, the Medieval reconstruction of the jambs and arches and highly irregular lose covering are of great interest.

The municipal building (maison communale) is the starting point of a brief tour that leads to the discovery of some very interesting points of the local architecture.Extremely well restored by the Engineer Jaccod, the “maison Gerbollier” today holds La Salle’s administrative offices.It is an age-old noble home of the Viard family, made up of different buildings surrounding an internal courtyard, where you can enter from the sourthern part, through a magnificent stone cut doorway.Some of the doors and windows inside the building have shapes that recall the splendors of this XVI century building, whilst the beams of the buildings show how this rural complex saw many strong transformations during 1713 and 1819. Following the road towards east you go up towards the village of Ecours.On the square, the chapel is embellished by frescoes representing the Visitation of the Virgin and a huge St. Cristophe (St. Christopher); placed on the side is a fountain and the chapel is located between a series of age-old rural homes, grouped one against each other with the dominating part of the medievel square tower, built by the De Curiis nobles who gave the name of the village.The tower is the heart of a great barn that still today works.In the valley on the mountainside of Ecours,a windmill once used the waters of the “ru” (irrigation canal) of Moyes, accessible through a shaded path that starts from Prarion, heading towards Moyes.

Located in the hamlet of Echarlod, it once belonged to the Aragon, a noble family of the 16th century.
As attested by the date inscribed on the side of the door, it was built in 1608, probably by Philibert of Aragon, who later had the misfortune of losing five children during the 1630 plague. His family died out shortly after this tragic event.
The house has a series of beautiful worked stone windows.
The entrance is on the western side, overlooked by a machicolation.

Located just after the hamlet of Le Pont, at the beginning of the old paved road which started from the SS 26 road and led to the municipal seat of La Salle. Despite being reworked, this fortified house is still an interesting site.

It is a rather large, four-sided building, with two slight projections on the side, originally for defence purposes. It still has 15th-century windows that are partly buffered. The entrance was placed on the north, with architrave decorated with a keel-shaped design, and the building body overhanging it (a loophole can still be seen next to the stone window). This ancient dwelling was damaged by the French during the invasion of June 1691.

Possession of the Bovet noblefamily,who lived from the 13th century to the start of the 16th, together with other property of the family, the fortified house was inherited, through marriage, by the Passorio.

On the wide fan of La Salle, in the village of Château, stands Châtelard castle, built, according to the historian Jean-Baptiste De Tillier, by Rudolph Grossi, bishop of Aosta in 1243 and archbishop of Tarantasia in 1246. It is first mentioned in a document from 1248, and presents the type of circular tower reminiscent of the fortified constructions of Count Peter II of Savoy, to whom Grossi was a close advisor.
All around, mediaeval dwellings of all shapes and sizes dot the land like small sentries with an ancient charm: the Pascal fortified house, the Aragon fortified Manor house, Maison Gerbollier, just above, the home of the Ecours and again, in the village of Derby, the notarial castle.

The castle stands isolated at theend of the road that crosses the entire length of village of Derby.
It is currently used as a farm, although we know that the underground served as a prison in ancient times.
It is still possible to see beautiful windows in worked stone, as well as the remains of the perimeter wall and a corner tower provided with loopholes on the east side.
The castle was apparently used a judicial seat, although it is not known whether this was of Sant’Orso or the Cathedral.

A complex of different buildings, none dating to before the 16th century, partly transformed for agricultural use.

The massive residential sector displays doors and windows with architraves with the characteristic reversed keel motif. There is an ancient external bread oven (restored in 1970).

There are no historical data, but the name seems to recall the inhabitancy of a notary. It is probably the home of the Lachenal, nobles who lived between the 13th and 16th centuries.

Four-sided fortified house with beautiful windows in worked stone, its construction is believed to date back to 1560.

De Tillier, a Valdostan historian of the 18th century, says that the cathedral chapter and the chapter of Sant’ Orso, who shared the territory of Derby, each had its own fortified household. It appears that being unable to apply justice there themselves, the canons of Sant’Orso engaged Giacomino d’Avise to do it in 1352.

Located north of the municipal seat, on the road that goes up to the hill villages, this massive square tower is what remains of the 13th century’s fabric, together with a short section of the ancient perimeter wall.
The building, during the Middle Ages possession of the Lescours (de Curiis) family, one of the best known in Valdigne, was enfeoffed for an half to the Chatelard nobles already in 1430.
In 1551 the castle went to the Bozel family in 1551 and later, always during XVIth century, it was transferred to the Gal and Malliet families jointly.
The fiefdom was reunited in the following century by the Passerin, who still owned it in 1730.

The tower stands west of the burg of La Salle, next to beautiful farmhouse from the first half of the last century.

The tower has no style elements that allow us to date its construction.
There are no historical data. Its imposing structure and the presence of loopholes have made it identified as a tower and dated between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

Mont Blanc can be appreciated in the background.

Dated 1636, it is dedicated to Saint Bernard (celebrated on 15 June). The facade is frescoed entirely with the figures of the saints Bernard, Anthony the Great, Cassian, Cristopher and Gratus. The coat of arms of the Savoy household also appears on the facade. The chapel was the object of recent restoration work.

Dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, it is mentioned for the first time in a document dated 1330. The facade is completely frescoed with images of Saint Christopher holding the Infant Jesus and Saint John the Baptist and the adoration of the three wise Kings. Inside the chapel there is the wooden separation grille and an altarpiece of the Madonna of Oropa.

It dates back to 1671 and is dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalen (feast day 22 July). The facade, which is in quite a poor state of repair, is decorated by large frescoes representing the Virgin with Child, Mary Magdalen, a warrior and Saint Christopher. The wooden separation grate is still visible on the inside.

The foundation date of the chapel dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalen (celebrated on July 22) is not known, but it already existed in 1436, as evidenced by the report of the archdeacon visit of that year. The current building was renovated in 1671 as indicated by the date engraved on the roof beam and again in 1985.

The structure has a small bell tower with two bells. The ogival shape of the door is noteworthy. The wooden separation grate is still visible on the inside.

The facade, rather ruined, is decorated with four scenes, three of which are arranged on the same level, above the entrance door. They are attributed to Giacomino da Ivrea who made them between 1440 and 1450. They depict Saint George and the princess (left panel), the Virgin and Child and Saint Christopher (right panel). Higher up is instead depicted the Magdalene, a fresco that dates back to 1619.

Dated 1621, its facade (unfortunately in very poor condition) is completely frescoed with a representation of the Universal Judgement, it is dedicated to Saint Leonard - celebrated on the 6th of November - and to Saint Gratus. The bell tower has two bells: one was used to call the faithful, the other one was used to remind children about the start of school.

The first documents relative to this church are the deeds of the pastoral visits of 1413 and 1416, but it may obviously be older than this. There are no remaining traces of the fifteenth century building, given that the church was rebuilt entirely in 1846, to then be re-consecrated in 1847. The bell tower in the lower part should date back to the 15th-16th century, while the upper part is from 1710.

The church, with three naves, is divided into four bays, it houses one of the most beautiful organs in Valle d’Aosta and has a permanent museum of sacred art in which numerous objects of noteworthy historical-artistic value are kept:
- a Madonna from the late thirteenth century (similar to that of Valsavarenche, Introd and Arvier)
- a Madonna from the early years of the 14th century (on a model of the famous Black Madonna of the Shrine of Oropa)
- a Crucifix from the early fifteenth century (inspired by the triumphal one from the Cathedral of Aosta)
- a silver cross from the early 15th century
- two miniature statues showing the Magdalen and Saint John the Evangelist, one of the most beautiful and graceful examples of Flemish art created in Malines between the 15th and 16th century and exported to all over Europe.

The primitive church of the village of Derby most likely dates back to the 11th / 12th century, while the belltower is said to date back to the 13th century. The current church has been erected in the 16th century and consecrated by Monsignor Ferragata, bishop of Aosta, on the 22nd of July 1567.

The church of Derby has a rectangular plan with a single nave, with pointed arches of the vault, cross vaults with tuff ribs, a semicircular apse on the outside and a polygonal apse on the inside with an umbrella vault with ribs. Of the previous church remain the perimeter walls and a small cross-shaped window, high up on the facade, which served to illuminate the trussed roof of the Romanesque building.
The high altar, in polychrome marble, dates back to the 17th century. Above it, statues of St Hilary and St Blaise (16th century). A large wooden crucifix from the 16th century overlooks the choir.
The stone baptismal font from 1688, to the left of the entrance, bears the coat of arms of the Savoy family.
In 1861 the current organ (G. Franzetti, with mechanical traction and broken registers) was installed.

Inside, some liturgical objects are kept in a display case, including a 15th-century silver foil reliquary.

Le groupe folklororique “Les Sallereins” naît en 1968 avec le but de conserver et diffuser les anciennes traditions du village de La Salle.
Le groupe réunit garçons et filles en costume typique, qui ont repris d’anciennes danses populaires évoquant la vie quotidienne: signalons, notamment, le ballet des vignerons, très rythmé et spectaculaire, tout à fait adapté à cette zone réputée pour ses vignobles. Le groupe anime tous les rendez-vous les plus importants et traditionnels du village et réjouit les moments de fête soit à La Salle, soit dans le reste de l’Italie et à l’étranger.

The “L’Homme et la Pente” ethnographic museum is the heart of the valorisation project of the rural heritage of La Salle.
The museum holds equipment used in agriculture and family life, particularly from the 18th and 19th centuries.

On January 23rd, 2012 Carlo Plassier left through a testamentary legacy his house, including furniture and works of art, at the La Salle Municipality, on condition that it would have been open to the public in the future.

The collection is the result of a sixty-years-old tableaumanie : “Carletto” bought in auctions, flea markets or by junk dealers and let every painting scrupulously restored. Moreover he became friendly with different artists of the Seventies and Eighties, famous as well as totally unknown, who he invited in his hotel and whom he offered the stay in exchange for pictures painted on place.

Ogni anno il santo patrono si festeggia nei comuni e nei villaggi della Valdigne con una manifestazione particolare, la “Badoche”, le cui origini paiono risalire ai riti propiziatori celebrati presso i Celti.

La tradizione vuole che la Badoche sia nata a La Salle, per poi diffondersi anche nelle altre località.
Protagonisti della festa sono i giovani scapoli che organizzano un ballo collettivo sulla piazza del paese. Alcuni giorni prima, i giovani della Badoche si riuniscono e designano il “capo badocher”, il quale insieme con la sua compagna, la “badochère”, dirigerà la festa.
Alla vigilia la coppia, nei vestiti tradizionali, guida di casa in casa il piccolo corteo accompagnato dai suonatori di fisarmonica, per annunciare l’evento e raccogliere offerte che aiutino a sostenere le spese per la festa. L’insegna del “badocher” è la cosiddetta “alabarda”, un bastone a tre punte coronato di fiori e ornato di nastri di seta multicolori, mentre per la questua si presenta un piatto, anch’esso decorato da fiori e nastri, pieno di dolciumi e di sigarette da offrire in cambio dell’obolo.

Nella piazza dove avrà luogo il ballo vengono issati otto pini abbattuti qualche giorno prima dai “badochers”.

Il giorno della festa patronale l’allegra brigata della “Badoche” e i suonatori fanno il loro ingresso nella piazza all’uscita della messa: le danze sono aperte dal “capo badocher” e dalla sua compagna, che successivamente inviteranno gli altri “badochers”, le autorità, le coppie di giovani provenienti dai villaggi vicini, i coscritti e ogni categoria di persone e di lavoratori, secondo una consuetudine tramandata dalla tradizione orale.
Il gran ballo riprende nel pomeriggio, accompagnato da generose mescite di vino, e si conclude a sera tarda.
Il gruppo folkloristico “Les Sallereins” raccoglie nel suo repertorio le danze tradizionali della “Badoche” di La Salle.
La “Badoche” è una tradizione che si festeggia anche a Morgex nel giorno dell’Assunzione (15 agosto), a La Thuile alla Traslazione delle reliquie di San Nicola (9 maggio), a Pré-Saint-Didier a San Lorenzo (10 agosto) e in alcune frazioni di questi paesi della Valdigne.

Probably only the crypt remains of the ancient 12th century building, that opens out under the presbytery of the current parish church, which is the fruit of a 17th century restoration intervention.
Apart from the main altar, four other altars are also visible, dedicated to the Rosary, to Saint Agatha, St. Joseph and to the Holy Cross, unfortunately victims of various thefts which deprived them of their original décor.
The 15th century belltower is noteworthy, its spire dates back to the 17th century.

Thanks to this ancient construction of the 18th century, carefully restored, it is possible to understand how rural environments were organised in peasant culture and visit the exhibition of the archive of the “Concours Cerlogne” (school competitions for works in “patois”, the Provençal dialect in Val d’Aosta) from 1963 to the present day.

The centre has a conference hall, a library specialised in Provençal dialectology and local Alpine history and holds the Sound Archives cassettes and microfilm of the “Concours Cerlogne”.

The centre is an ancient 18th-century construction, part of the village of Fossaz-Dessus and an example of a classic rural mountain house. It lies among other constructions and is on sloping terrain with three and a half storeys, with the axis parallel to the levels: this is a constant feature of the village’s architecture. The space is organised into a stable (bòou) on the ground floor, a kitchen (méisôn) and the bedroom (tsambra) on the first floor and the hay barn (pailler) on the top part of the building.

In 1986 the regional administration purchased the building and started reconstruction, modifying the layout of the rooms in the grange, to house the Centre, which opened on 12 November 1988. Architects Louis Bochet and Alberto Breuvé managed to safeguard the old structures, proposing a reconstruction that was functional, while respecting the traditional elements.

On site and by reservation it is possible to consult the library specialized in the Franco-Provençal language and Alpine ethnology and the archive of the Cerlogne concours (more than 4000 volumes: these are the works in patois, from 1962 to today, by the schools participating in the annual competition).

Jean-Baptiste Cerlogne was born in Cerlogne, a village of Saint-Nicolas in 1826. After working in Marseille as a chimney sweep, he was employed as cook at the Seminario Maggiore in Aosta, where his intelligence and creativity were noted and he was invited to study to take holy orders. Thus he became “Abbé Cerlogne”, author of numerous mostly poetic publications written in Provençal dialect (patois), and works defending and spreading this dialect, including the “Dictionnaire du patois valdôtain”. He died in 1910 in Saint-Nicolas, where his remains lie in a tomb behind the church façade.
The museum located in La Cure, near the parish church, presents works and several personal objects of this Aosta Valley poet, as well as works of vernacular poets and writers from the past. The devisor and curator of “Musée Cerlogne” was Renato Willien, writer, theater man and photographer, who on 16 October 1967 set up in the same museum the Centre for Provençal Studies, later moved to the village of Fossaz-Dessus, where it has its present seat.
A gallery for temporary exhibitions has been created in the ancient vaulted stable beneath the museum.

currently closed

The Gerbore museum is located within the “Maison de la Tôr”, a historical building mentioned in a document from 1768, which hosts from time immemorial the bread oven and the dairy for the village families.
The exhibition “L’epoca dei Pionieri” (The age of pioneers), prepared by the “Fondation Joseph Gerbore” in the typical architectural backdrop, shows around fifty agricultural machines dating back to the 1950s. In addition to the interesting technical aspects, emphasis is placed on the social and economic impact caused by the arrival of the engine to the countryside (the revolution introduced by the mowing machine is the most emblematic example).

This fairy-tale castle set on a crag above the village is really unique.

The famous four little lateral towers, which were added in the 19th century, give to Saint-Pierre’s castle, that ranks among the oldest manors in the region, a Disney-like appearance. The original structure might date back to the 12th century, because the brothers de castro Sancti Petri are mentioned as co-owners of a part of the castle in the well-known charter Charte de Franchise of 1191. Among the later owners we should remember Pietro Filiberto Roncas, who enlarged the castle in the 17th century and held there many receptions.

Since then, the castle underwent some refurbishments and had different owners. Now it belongs to Saint-Pierre’s municipality and it has housed the Regional Museum of Natural Sciences from 1985 until its closure, which was necessary to allow restoration works.

Thanks to these restoration works, the architectural structures were made safe, the wooden floors were consolidated and new technological systems and an elevator were installed. The restoration of the external facades and the internal rooms has allowed the reorganization of the museum and its reopening at the end of 2022.

watch the video: Saint Pierre castle

Buy your tickets on-line

Evidence of the existence of the Sarriod noble family, linked politically, but not by blood, to the lords of Bard, goes back to the end of the 12th century. We are still not certain of the origins of the castle located in Saint-Pierre, in a flatland area a short distance from the state road.
The oldest building included the chapel and the central, square tower (donjon) surrounded by the castle walls, typical of Val d’Aosta castles of the 10-12th century.
In 1420, Jean Sarriod built a castle in the location of the tower already known as the “turris Sariodorum” since the 14th century, as a place of reception, by adding a series of wings to the existing donjon. This included the building of the spiral staircase in the tower (viret) and the addition of cross windows in cut stone, which are characteristic of fifteenth century Valdostan architecture. In 1478 Jean’s son, Antoine Sarriod de la Tour, transformed the chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist, which is when the external frescoes of the Crucifix and Saint Christopher were painted and the small bell tower was built. On the ground floor of the north wing, there is a large wooden-ceilinged hall. On the first floor you find the so-called “hall of heads” which gets its name from the decorations on the wooden ceiling.
In the late 15th century, the boundary wall was given circular and semi-circular defence towers and the new entrance was opened on the eastern side with pointed arch portal and sculpted arch vault bearing the Sarriod coat of arms.
The change in level from room to room is evidence of a variety of works over the centuries. The west-facing wing was added in the 16th century, while the north tower dates back to the 17th century. A number of wall-painting fragments and a stucco fireplace date back to the 18th century.
The castle remained the property of the Sarriod de la Tour until 1923, then went to the Bensa family of Genoa. It has been property of the autonomous Region Aosta Valley since 1970.

The current church of Saint-Pierre was entirely built in 1871-72 on the ruins of the previous, medieval churches. The church has a rectangular plan and only one nave: during the first half of the twentieth century, brothers Alessandro and Auguste Artari decorated the façade and the vault, representing The Last Supper, the Evangelists and Saints of the Aosta Valley on the white marble main altar. The altar is overlooked by a beautiful canvas by Stornone from 1889 where Our Lord and Saint Peter are distinguished. The large frame is by the sculptor Comoletti.
The church hosts a nineteenth-century, walnut pulpit whose carved panels recall the life of Saint Peter. The belltower dates back to the thirteenth century: the tower is square shaped in plastered stone with loopholes from top to bottom and openings to one, two and even three bell lodgement chambers.

All the way to the refuge Mont Fallère, little wooden creatures such as: owls, hawks, hares, groundhogs, woodpeckers, capercaillies, foxes and eagles are hidden behind branches and stones. But between trees you may also find curious gnomes watching you.

Approaching the refuge, the sculptures become bigger: here is the grandfather indicating the right path to the shelter to his nephews while not too far away there is a couple of chamois and ibex, but also a villager who, caught by a sudden urge, hides behind a stone.

The open-air museum sculptures are made by using a special type of wood that will last long time in the open air.
The only exception is the Madonna that was inserted into a cave to withstand the high mountain weather.

While walking you will feel like being in a treasure hunt among wooden sculptures and the scents of the mountain.

Most of those works of art (about 100/120 sculptures) were carved by Siro Viérin .

The Regional Museum of Natural Science is named after its founder, Efisio Noussan.

The project of museography is based on the castle-museum combination and intends to enhance both the historical-architectural and the scientific-naturalistic assets, adopting an approach that is in line with the most modern museography and museological guidelines.

The double register for the visitor allows the visitor, in each room, to learn about the history of the castle, and also to find out about the historical elements still present, such as fireplaces, furnishings, decorations and coats of arms, and the fauna, flora and the natural environment of Valle d’Aosta.
The visit to the museum thus becomes a journey through the ecosystems of Valle d’Aosta, which can also be accessed thanks to the interactive stations where the visitor will find news, maps, curiosities, images on glaciers, the climate, geology. The rooms set up in the traditional way are supported by the rooms that host multimedia equipment intended to create innovative and emotional experiences.

The museum combines the institutional activities of conservation, exhibition of the finds, and circulation with the activity of scientific research, carried out in its operational headquarters in La Salle, with the help of modern biotechnologies in support of the conservation of biodiversity.

The museum also houses the Lyskamm marmot, considered the oldest mummified find in Italy.

The itinerary of the visit is organized in the 16 rooms of the castle located on the ground floor and on the two upper floors.

• 1-Hall of the Coats of Arms
  The first room is entirely devoted to the history of the Castle. A modern multimedia station allows you to retrace the reconstruction phases of the castle during the succession of families to illustrate the painted coats of arms of the room and to tell about the archaeological excavations carried out during the work regarding the recovery of the castle.

• 2-Hall of Differences: From the Vineyards to the North Pole
  Valle d’Aosta, despite its modest extension, is characterized by its high degree of biodiversity, proven by the many animal and plant species hosted within a radius of just a few kilometers. Going from the vineyards and olive trees of the lower valley to the glacial environments of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps, is similar to taking a journey from the Mediterranean Sea to the North Pole and the ice of the Arctic. The succession of altitudinal planes illustrates the differences that characterize the mountain environment from the foot to the top of the mountain through films and multimedia supports. The route then enters the regional protected areas, parks and nature reserves, Natura 2000 sites, and Alpine botanical gardens.

• 3-Hall of Time: The Old Museum of Natural Science
  The walls and the vault found in the decorations, the wooden floor with two-tone squares and the wrought iron chandeliers, are the setting of the historical environment of the Museum of Natural Science. The history of the museum is told, from its establishment to the present day, in its historical and minimalist showcases.

• 4-Hall of Rocks: The Stones Tell Stories
  Valle d’Aosta allows for a geological journey through the secrets of the rocks of the Alps, from the granite of Mont Blanc to the gneiss of Gran Paradiso, from the soaring lines of the Matterhorn to the Dolomite formations of the Cime Bianche (White Peaks). Geology is the main theme told through rock samples, images of peaks, geological and soil maps and virtual interviews with a geologist accompanied by insights into the soils of Valle d’Aosta.

• 5-Hall of the Slopes: Adret and Ubac
  Each valley oriented from east to west, or vice versa, has a sunny south-facing side (adret) and a shady north-facing side (ubac). The exposure determines significant differences in temperature and climatic conditions, influencing crops, ecosystems, plant and animal species, and the mood of the inhabitants. The climatic and environmental differences between the southern and northern slopes are another aspect characterizing the mountain territories and, in particular, the Valle d’Aosta territory. There are numerous insights into the themes of rainfall and temperatures with a focus on climate change.

• 6-Hall of the Abbés Savants: The Eyes of Faith and Science
  The route of the visit continues in the two intermediate halls located between the ground floor and the first floor. The abbés savants, the scientist priests who animated the intellectual and scientific life of Valle d’Aosta between the 19th and 20th centuries dedicated themselves to study, research and circulation of information.

• 7-Noussan Hall
  This hall is dedicated to Efisio Noussan, a well-known entrepreneur from Valle d’Aosta, a passionate connoisseur of the culture and natural environment of Valle d’Aosta. Thanks to his tenacity, the Société de la Flore Valdôtaine resumed its activities and in 1985 the Regional Museum of Natural Science was established which today bears his name.

• 9 and 10-Halls of the Water: The Creative Force
  From glacier water to high-altitude springs, from alpine lakes to waterfalls, from peat bogs to marshes, from streams to ponds, Valle d’Aosta is entirely designed and traversed by the vital force of water, which shapes the mountain landscape bringing life and sometimes even destruction. Through dioramas and naturalistic reconstructions, it is possible to closely observe the environments that are strictly linked to the presence of water and characterized by delicate balances. The adjacent room offers a sound and visual experience, with the sounds of waterfalls, rain, streams, and the dripping of glacial melt water.

• 11-The Hall of the Forest: The Secret Life
  A short night walk through a mountain forest, accompanied by the cries of birds and mammals, the rustle of the wind, mysterious shadows, and primordial sounds, arouses sensations and allows the visitor to discover the different types of trees, their inhabitants, the woods and their distribution on the territory. An environment reproduced in full size.

• 12-Hall of Vertigo: The Inhabitants of the Void
  The abstract reproduction of the rocky environments of Valle d’Aosta illustrates the adaptation of the various animal and plant species to vertical life, which also includes man, who “conquers” the void with road works, terraces and suspended villages. Reproductions of animals and plants via 3D printing are exhibited in the display cases.

• 13 and 14-Prairie Halls: The Four Seasons
  Like in a virtual journey towards higher altitudes, you reach the prairies where you can observe the changes imposed by the passage of time, which makes flowers sprout and wither, retains and erases the traces of animals, calls and drives away the herds, flocks and shepherds. Green in summer and white in winter, the prairie marks the rituality of the Alpine seasons.

• 15-The Hall of the Cold: Living Ice
  For at least two centuries the glaciers have been a tourist attraction of Valle d’Aosta but they have also been a workshop of scientific discoveries and a climbing gym, landscape modeling agents, important environmental indicators and an irreplaceable reserve of water. The glacier is “living” matter that glides downstream like a frozen stream. In addition to a video interview on the birth of mountaineering, the stations provide information on glaciers and the effects of climate change.

• 16-Hall of Emotions
  The experience of visiting the museum ends with a journey through Valle d’Aosta, with spectacular panoramas and engaging images with the aim of arousing interest and curiosity in the visitor so that he/she can discover, with greater awareness, the nature of Valle d’Aosta in the area itself.