Heritage: Cogne

The Visitor Center of the Gran Paradiso National Park of Cogne Laboratory Park presents the complex and dynamic evolution of the protected area as in a laboratory of experimentation: explanatory models, multimedia systems, interactive games and an original “sensory space” that offers visitors the opportunity to appreciate the scents of nature and hear the characteristic sounds of the woods.
The main idea revolves around the concept of land use and management, which is only possible by means of an in-depth knowledge of the environmental data.

The themes developed in the Cogne Visitor Center are:

• water: the models show the effects that water has on the territory, they illustrate some flood events and describe the interaction between human settlements and the hydrogeological aspects
• forest and pasture: a “multimedia” immersion into the life of the woodcutter and the simulation of important choices for the maintenance of the forest
• fauna and man: the manner in which man and animals interact.

The center also hosts two interesting thematic set-ups devoted to the wolf and to the ibex, respectively

The exhibition itinerary does not have an obligatory linear pathway: choose your own “path” according to your interests and to the level of in-depth study you wish to make.

Audio guide mp3

The craftsmen of the Aosta valley traditionally used the term “l’Artisanà” to refer to the shop in the centre of Aosta where the products displayed during the Sant’Orso Craft Fair were taken for sale once the fair was over. Thus, the Institut Valdôtain de l’Artisanat de Tradition has decided to make this name its communication brand, combining the cultural and commercial sectors of its activity.
Today there are four Artisanà boutiques spread all over the region, providing an original showcase for a living, evolving craft industry rooted in tradition.
The boutiques de L’Artisanà offer tourists and aficionados the chance to take home an authentic piece of the Aosta Valley: objects crafted in wood, earthenware and wrought iron, as well as textiles and ceramics, testifying to the traditions of our region that stretch back thousands of years.

The boutique in Cogne

The boutique can be found on the pedestrian street named after one of the most important figures in the history of the Aosta Valley, César Emmanuel Grappein (1772-1855). Close to the Gran Paradiso National Park it is nestled between the highest peaks in Europe and visited by thousands of tourists each year. The boutique is an invitation for craft aficionados to take home an authentic piece of the Aosta Valley.

Opening times:

July and August
from Monday to Sunday 10-12.30 / 14.30-19.30
Closed on Monday 5th July.

September
from Wednesday to Sunday 9.30-12.30 / 15.30-19.00
closed from 27 to 30 September.

October
Saturday and Sunday 9.30-12.30 / 15.30-19.00

November
Monday 1 and 2 November 10-12.30 / 15-19

Opening times are subject to variations: we advice to verify them before the visit (see the “Contacts” area).

Situated west of the village of Epinel, at the centre of an important crossroads, the Castle of Tamberel was built in 1198. Also known as “Tor de Mougne”, it belonged to the noble Chesallet family of Sarre, who during the 13th century handed over their assets to the Count-Bishops, who in turn enfeoffed them to the Moni di Epinel, ministers and men faithful to the prelate of Aosta.
Near the construction, while has an outdoor courtyard, the village of Tamberel grew up, and was probably composed of two neighbourhoods: Mougne and Croix. The administrative centre of the fief of Epinel, Tarambel was entitled to elect its own representatives, within the group of those representing the Community of Cogne. Towards the beginning of the 16th century, the village was gradually abandoned, perhaps as a result of the drought that afflicted the area, so the inhabitants chose to populate the four scattered corners of Epinel, eventually being incorporated into it and becoming one large village.

Situated in the centre of the town, next to the church, the building dates back to the start of the period of the episcopal lords (12-13th century).
It was later bought an reconstructed by Victor Emmanuel II, who used it as a residence, while ibex hunting in the valley of Cogne.
The building is now a residence.

The parish is placed under the protection of Sant’Orso, a priest from Aosta Valley who lived between the 7th and 8th century. Popular tradition affirms that he is said to have been the saint who reclaimed the area, which was originally uninhabitable. The canons of the Aosta collegiate of Sant’Orso may have played an important role in this sense, the parish seems to have been managed by them already in 1884. The canons held the parish until 1820, the year in which all rights were transferred to the bishop.

In 1642 the building took on its current appearance, following the extension works. The bell tower was built in 1840, after the old one was knocked due to problems relating to height and stability. The church has a regular shape. The interior, which has a single nave, redecorated by Pirlato in 1960, conserves precious altars from the eighteenth century in gilded sculpted wood, with Solomonic columns.

The exhibition is dedicated to the powerful works of Dorino Ouvrier, the sculptor who draws incredible stories of work and labour, legends and peasant festivals, and everyday life within the deeply rooted tradition that gives life and substance to existence.

Dorino Ouvrier was born in Cogne on 13 may 1948.
He took part in the Valdostan wood fairs between 1976 and 1986, winning numerous awards.

Maison Gérard Dayné is one of the best examples of Aosta Valley traditional architecture.
This particularly complex structure has been carefully restored. You can see the “cor”, the internal covered area that is typical of Cogne houses, the “beu”, the main room used in domestic life and the large barns which will house a long-term theme exhibition in the future.
Maison Gérard Dayné is a place where memories help to reflect on the conservation and valorisation of the architectural, historical and cultural heritage of the Alpine communities.

Situated in Sonveulla, on the edge of the ancient village, the structure, highly representative of local rural architecture, is a group of eight buildings arranged into an L-shape. Its current aspect dates back to the first half of the 19th century, at the end of a process of expansion that had begun possibly before the 18th century.
The varied nature of the complex and its specific characteristics, typical of the rural architecture of Cogne, are well suited to house a museum that tells the story of the traditional architecture, homes, family life, agricultural organisation and forest environment, mines, objects, sacred art, beliefs, legends, language and literature of Aosta Valley in former times.

Co-working service
Maison Gérard Dayné offers a corner where people who need working or studying can do it in tranquillity (reservation is recommended).

The mine presented as a mix of stories, sounds and emotions.

A few steps from the centre of Cogne you can visit an interesting exhibition on the extraction of minerals in the Aosta Valley region.

The complex of the miners’ village, reachable by taking the road that climbs towards the village of Gimillan, houses the museum in the main building in front of the square and in the one adjacent to the arrival of the old mine buckets.

In addition to an overview of the places where these precious minerals are found in the Aosta Valley (Brusson, Cogne, La Thuile, Ollomont, Saint-Marcel) you can relive the experience of life in the mine, in particular in the Cogne deposits: workplaces, the difficulty of tunnel operations up to the last journey of the extracted material to Aosta for its transformation.

Experiences and stories surround the visitor: a leap in time and history to the sound of the pickaxe.

Information requests and tour bookings: +39 346 8710943 (WhatsApp only)

Exhibition and sale of handmade lace according to an ancient tradition.

Valuable and sophisticated lace from Cogne tell the tale of an ancient story covering four centuries with its subtle patterns. It started in 1665. At that time, some Benedictine nuns fled to Aosta Valley from the monastery in Cluny and were hosted in different towns of the region, where they taught local women the art of pillow-lace work. Over the centuries, the packaging of pillow-lace work in Cogne, was handed down from mother to daughter exclusively via teaching and direct experience, unlike similar French and Belgian productions that made use of cardboard pieces reproducing the various designs.
Having miraculously reached the present day, despite or as a result of this fragile connection, the art of pillow-lace work also represents the tenacious bond that people in Aosta Valley have to tradition.
The skilful female companies interweave motifs with the extremely fast play of spindles on the circular cushion of lace making (a circle, the “coessein”, stuffed with straw and wool, supported by its singular “cavalot” a wooden piece of furniture sculpted with the classic rose motif, Christ’s monogram and the year of workmanship as well as the name of its first owner). The interweaving with linen thread is created by working with numerous spindles.
From the pillow lace, to which the work is attached through pins with multicoloured pin heads, stem amazing designs of animals, flowers, etc…

Nowdays in Cogne, 40 women working in cooperative Les Dentellières de Cogne, produce about 1.500 meters precious lace per year.

This is a tradition still very much alive and of particular significance for the inhabitants of the neighbourhood of Epinel.
On the afternoon of 1st November, the young unmarried men (and in recent years, also the women) of the village head for the bell tower of the little church, where they ring the bell and throw sweets to the children, marking the beginning of celebrations that will come to a close later in the evening, after a convivial dinner.

This is an accordion brought into the valley by the cogneins who emigrated to nearby France in search of work. Over the years, the “lou clavacin” has carved out a role for itself as the instrument used to liven up the singing and dancing during feast days and celebrations in Cogne, so much so that it has become the typical instrument associated with the village.
Cogne is the only place in Valle d’Aosta where people play the typically French chromatic accordion, which is very different from the more common, more popular piano accordion. Proof of the importance that “lou clavacin“ has acquired in Cogne is provided by the fact that a large number of young people today continue studying this difficult, demanding instrument; each spring, the community hosts the “Feta di clavacin“, during which over 60 accordionists from the village show off their musical skills and devotion to the instrument.

This costume was once worn every day, especially by the local women, up until at least the Second World War, while today its use is reserved only for festivals and events, or performances by the local folk group.

The women’s costume, the like of which is found nowhere else in Valle d’Aosta (although a similar costume exists in the Val Soana, in the neighbouring Piemonte region), is characterised by a wide black skirt made from a thick, rough fabric that was once woven in the village, with a high waist, puffed out at the back and covered at the front by an apron in glossy black fabric, folded upwards, which reaches up to the chest. This austere ensemble is contrasted by the white shirt, with a starched, pleated pillow lace collar, hand made by the local women. Several strands of coloured glass beads are worn around the neck, with a cross hanging from them.

The men’s costume is composed of a white woollen sweater, open at the front, with red and green edges and pompoms of the same colours on the white shirt, worn with black trousers and a black waistcoat.
The black, white, red and green of the costumes (the women’s costume features ribbons in the latter two colours) forms an attractive colour combination.