Heritage: Introd, Villeneuve

The building beside the Introd castle, today called “Cascina L’Ola”, was once used as a barn and hayloft by the Introd family.The newer unit of this old building is the part held up by five big columns and covered by a jutting rooftop.Worth noticing, on the Western side, the architrave of a door, decorated by a streamlined arch motif.Another interesting building located beside the castle is the barn, a wood and stone building constructed on the foundations of a previous building.Through a small door (the Gothic lock that represents a richly embattled medievel castle is extremely interesting), you reach the two halls located underground.These halls have windows that today are completely buried.In the past thieves would frequently rob grain from this barn.

The village of Les Combes overlooks the town of Arvier, but it is part of Introd. It was established on a gentle sloping clearing, dedicated to agropastoralism, wheat and straw.

The traditional architecture of Les Combes mainly uses stone, and it is made up of large buildings whose evolution unfolds from the Early Middle Ages to the 19th century. Robust stone buildings from the 15th century are preserved in the village centre, with a wooden barn alongside it here and there.

Some rural buildings exhibit drainpipes supported by circular stone columns. These columns represent power and bear witness to the fact that these houses with their rural appearance were inhabited by a judge, a castellan and notary. They were built by expert building masters mainly from the Lys Valley, Gaby and Issime, the home towns of seasonal emigrants, skilled in working with stone, from the XVI to the XIX century.
This architectural element is related to the prestige of the noble estate of Introd Castle, the Ola, whose imposing appearance influenced building masters who raised rural buildings in nearby towns, in the Rhêmes valley and, occasionally, important houses throughout the Aosta Valley and the Savoiard Tarantaise.

Not far from Les Combes, in the village of Villes-dessus in Introd, the maison Bruil is worth a visit. It is an amazing building that belonged to the Buillet and Bruil families between the XVII and XX centuries and was adapted to later canons in order to obtain a large multi-purpose home, with a covered internal courtyard, that runs alongside the facade with three circular columns from 1680 and now incorporated within the structure dating from 1856. This house is home to an exhibition on mountain food.

Les Amis du Bois, founded in 1974, is a small artisan business that produces typical wooden objects as per on local tradition. They mainly create grolle (wooden bowls for coffee) and friendship cups, two objects that symbolize typical Valdostan handicrafts. But they also make plates, mortars, vases, bowls, cutting boards, bas-reliefs and any other type of carved object, always, of course, in wood.

The workshops may be toured only with a reservation made by phone.

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

Book your visit to the castle here.

The castle
Introd castle stands on a promontory protected by the harsh gorges of the Savara and the Dora di Rhêmes (in fact the name Introd derives from the term “Interaquas”, or “entre-eaux” in French, which means “between the waters”) and probably dates back to the 12th century. Like Graines castle, originally, it probably consisted of a square keep surrounded by a perimeter wall.
Around 1260 Pierre Sarriod of Introd transformed the early castle which, following the modifications of the 15th century became five-sided and almost circular in shape, setting it apart from other castles in Val d’Aosta. These transformations mark the apogee of the Sarriod family, which included the Lords of Introd and La Tour (Saint-Pierre).
The castle was heavily damaged by two fires during the second half of the 19th century and was rebuilt at the start of the 1900s by Gonella, who engaged the architect Chevalley.
Owned by the Counts Caracciolo of Brienza and rented out for free to the MunicipalIty of Introd; the Castle is managed by the Fondation Grand Paradis, which ensures it is open to visitors.
Open to the public: ground floor and castle gardens.

The “Cascina L’Ola”
The building next to the castle, today called the “Cascina L’Ola”, was formerly used by the Lords of Introd as a stable and hayshed. The most recent part of the old building is the area supported by five pillars and covered by an overhanging roof. The western wing hosts an interesting door lintel, decorated with a keel-shaped arch motif.

The granary
In the area in front of the castle is a magnificent construction, one of the rare existing examples of buildings made entirely from wood, typical of early mediaeval architecture in Valle d’Aosta: a fifteenth-century granary used to store grain and seeds. A small door, with an interesting Gothic lock featuring a richly crenellated mediaeval castle, leads to the two rooms below. Equipped with embrasures, the two rooms are now entirely buried underground.

Situated in the chief town, on the regional road for the valleys of Rhêmes and Valsavarenche, it is unconsecrated and currently houses exhibitions and concerts.
Very ancient tombs from the pre-Roman era were found in the vicinity.
Outside the little church there is a wooden cross that recalls the preaching of the popular missions in 1949. At the junction between the two wings, the engraver added a shroud with the face of Christ.

The construction date of the parish church is unknown, it is situated in the chief town dedicated to the conversion of Saint Paul. During the course of the years it was subject to changes and extensions.

Les Combes museum is a “sanctuary of memories” with images, documents and objects regarding the pontificate of John Paul II. It is a tribute to the Polish Pope who, from 1989 to 2004, chose ten times the Aosta Valley and the village of Les Combes for his summer rest period.

The Maison Musée Jean-Paul II exhibits a series of objects, documents and photographs of the Holy Father which provide a global vision of this pontificate.

This collection, on one hand represents the worldly, apostolic aspect of the Holy Father and, on the other, his residence in Val d’Aosta, through personal objects used during his holidays in Aosta Valley.

A few meters from the museum, the Chapel of San Lorenzo has become a sanctuary dedicated to St. John Paul II which houses a relic of the Holy Father, a lock of hair.
The altar with the image of John Paul II carved in an African mahogany trunk is by the artist Franco Chevrere.

Maison Bruil, located in the hamlet Ville Dessus of Introd is one of the best examples of rural Gran Paradiso architecture.
It is an ancient rural house with several concentrated functions: all spaces needed for survival of people and animals were grouped together under a single roof.
The current shape is the result of a complex architectural evolution that can be dated back to between 1680 and 1856, the period in which different wings of the building were joined to form a single body.
The visit unravels on three floors through the typical rooms of a traditional house, restored to their original function. The “crotta”, the natural glacier , the “crotteun”, the “peillo”, the drying areas and the garret are some of the areas open to the public wishing to deepen its knowledge of traditional architecture.

The exhibition: food preservation
Maison Bruil has become also a permanent food exhibition, a journey through oral testimony, recorded since 1980 in several communities of the Region. In the towns where the land lies fallow for many months, populations are only able to settle down when they dispose of food resources that last from one harvest to the next.
Altitude and latitude reduce food production times and as a consequence extend preservation times for the items needed. Tradition and experience taught the mountain dwellers numerous preservation techniques based on different physical and chemical principles: cold, salting, drying, smoking, cooking, isolation from air and light.

L’Atelier du Goût
Maison Bruil contains a special area reserved to local products: Atelier du Goût.
This is a showcase area where you can discover the territory and its products; presentations of products and tasting show the techniques and cultural context in which foodstuffs and wine are created.
Atelier du Goût provides an answer to the growing demand for food-related themes and quality agricultural products; this takes place in an atmosphere where the senses are used as an instrument of knowledge, with a direct approach to form, fragrances and flavours and with personal interaction with vine-dressers, diaries, farmers, the real protagonists of the products presented.

The mystery of the forest
A Fantasy Game style visit formula that involves adults and children in search of clues to decipher and puzzles to solve. Inside the rooms of the large Maison Bruil, between the stable, the cellars, the kitchen, the small dairy and the attic, visitors will have to face a fascinating challenge against time and solve the intricate mystery

Les Villes-Dessus Dairy
This building was built on land purchased from the inhabitants of the villages of Les Villes-Dessus and Norat. Each family contributed a share proportional to the number of cows owned. Built between 1913 and 1914, the dairy had a cellar for maturing cheeses and was equipped with a water turbine connected to the churn and fed by an ancient spring. A room intended for the village school
The dairy worked continuously until the mid-1980s. Appropriately renovated, the dairy has become a ludic and interactive center dedicated to discovering the traditional milk supply chain, designed in particular for school groups and young people accompanied by their families.

• The dairy can be visited on the occasion of special events or by reservation for groups.

Established inside the church dedicated to the Conversion of Paul the Apostle, the parish museum exhibits statues, astylar crosses and liturgical ornaments from the church itself and village chapels.
The most significant objects include two Madonnas and Child from the 15th century and an astylar cross made of silver plate dating back to the 16th.

An invitation to meet the soul of a place and learn how to grasp its charm, history, magic …

The village of Les Combes, in the municipality of Introd, at the gates of the Gran Paradiso National Park, is known for its pleasant *traditional architecture with particular stone rural buildings, some of which date back to the Late Middle Ages, but also for having hosted the holidays of Pope John Paul II and his successor, Benedict XVI, for several summers.

It is from Les Combes that the artistic itinerary “the soul of places” begins, which leads to discover the works of the sculptor Franco Chevrère, who often returns to the alleys of the village, where he lived and to which he is strongly linked.

Some works are also located in the localities of Le Truc-d’Arbé, a few minutes from the road that goes up to Les Combes, and Croux de Bouque, reachable in about an hour on foot along the path marked 4-5.

The hydroelectric plant of Champagne 1 is an industrial monument of the Belle Époque.Built in 1921, it is one of the most interesting plants, in an architectural point of view:austere and solid on the outside, embellished by decorations and architectural motifs on the inside.The plant is characterized by a structure made up of a grey stone main unit with large windows and two quadrangular side towers.The structure harmoniously fits in with the castles located in the surrounding areas: Saint-Pierre, Aymavilles, Introd, Avise and Arvier.

But the main point of interest of this tour is exploring the inside of the plant.Once inside the main entrance you come into a large hall, completely decorated on the ceilings and walls.Beside this building there is the other plant called Champagne 2 (visits not allowed), much more simple in shape and form.

The decorations were completed in 1929 and were recently restored. From this hall, where the turbines and generators are located, a grand staircase leads to a room where long ago the operation and production of the plant was controlled. The tour of the plant is interesting in order to better understand the running of hydroelectric plants and to see how energy can be produced by the use of a precious natural element:water.
Close to the plant you can also admire the huge wheel of a hydraulic turbine.

You may visit the outside of the plant all year round.Guided tours of the inside are given during weekdays, from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. and from 2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m.Guided tours of the outside and inside last about half an hour. You must make reservations.

Book your visit to the castle here.

Recent studies have shown that the current configuration of the castle dates back to around 1275; however the place name Castrum Argenteum had already appeared in 1176.
The constructor was probably Master James of Saint Georges, the architect of Count Peter II, already active in Wales. The promontory on which the castle stands and which overlooks the residential area of Villeneuve had already been inhabited in protohistoric times and during the Roman era.
Its strategic position ensured that the castle remained property of the Count of Savoy along the centuries.

The castle consists of a vast enclosure with fortifications and a watchtower on the outside.
On the eastern side is the chapel, the oldest part of the complex (11-12th century). The western part of the enclosure is delimited by a defence wall which contains the entrance. This second perimeter structure contained the residential wings, now destroyed, buttressed against the wall, the vaulted cistern and the circular keep.
The architecture puts in evidence the defensive aspect of the original structure: the entrance door was placed some meters above the earth level and the only openings are the embrasures that are practically invisible from the outside.
The castle can be reached on foot in about fifteen minutes from the little road starting from the bridge over the Dora Baltea, in the village of Villeneuve.

You can access the church on foot, within the space of five minutes, from the road that unwinds from the bridge over the Dora Baltea.

The Romanesque style church, which is located at the foot of the medieval castle, was the seat of the parish until the end of the 18th century. The bell tower is a typical square shaped tower. During the digs carried out in the building, the remains of the ancient early-Christian church and the relative baptismal font were found.

The semi-circular shaped crypt, near the choir, dates back to the 11th century. Inside the church you can still admire important frescos from the 13th to the 16th century, as well as furnishings.

The current parish church in the centre of the village of Villeneuve, consecrated to Saint Mary of the Assumption, was built in 1792 on the chapel of the old hospital.

The decoration of the facade with “trompe l’oeil” columns by Giuseppe Stornone dates back to 1863 and depicts the ascension of the Virgin in the centre, on the sides Saint Grato and Saint Biagio and in the tympanum the trinity with Jesus, God the father and the dove symbol of the Holy Spirit.

The interior pictorial decoration focuses on the vaults and ceilings.
The main altar in polychrome marble was donated by the Gerbore family at the end of the 1700s.
The altarpiece is from 1914 while the altar facing the people dates back to 1975.

The left altar in painted and gilded wood is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary: the canvas depicts the Virgin enthroned with the child with saints, surrounded by the 15 mysteries of the Rosary.
The altar on the right, in carved wood, partly gilded and painted, is dedicated to Saint Biagio, patron saint of Villeneuve, and to Saint Anthony.

The pipe organ was built by Giovanni Franzetti and his son in 1861.

Curiosity:
In the square in front of the church, there is a frescoed sundial with the date of 1875 and the symbols of knowledge: sextant, globe, hourglass, pen and inkwell. With the equation table it is possible to calculate the time difference at various times of the year, which varies from + 15 to - 16 minutes.

The church is located along the Cammino Balteo hiking trail.