La Torre Colombaia, a sanctuary of beauty and history

In the early thirteenth century, in the soft womb of the lower Aosta Valley, the Vallaise, with silent and determined movements, insinuated themselves among the families holding power, including the “de Arnado” lords of Arnad, weaving a network of undisputed dominance over the fragile territorial fabric. Arnad stood, notable and sacred, as a crucial node in their web of control, both for its strategic and spiritual value. Here, even before the advent of the Vallaise, the breath of time had already consecrated the land with the parochial establishment of San Martino, a solemn echo of the tenth century, and, parallel to the sacred monastic site, the mighty square tower, the Torre de Ville, erected next to the Prouve stream by the preceding de Arnado dynasty.

Adjacent to the tower, in successive phases of the XIII century, the “de l’Hotel” branch of the Vallaise erected the Fortified House, shaped the Church of San Michele, and raised a second tower, this one with three levels, with the top transformed into a dovecote, so as to touch the sky. This monumental complex, a woven fabric of stone and prayer — composed of the Torre de Ville, the Fortified House, the Church of San Michele, and La Torre Colombaia — was referred to in ancient documents as the Complex de l’Ohtà, dell’Othà, or sometimes of the Costa, names that resonate like a lullaby through the centuries.

The first ceremonial transfer of ownership, a delicate handover between Jean-Frédéric de Vallaise and his brother Josué for La Torre Colombaia, was immortalized in a document of the year of our Lord 1603.

With the inexorable flow of time, as the modern age was just beginning to open its eyes, the ground floor of La Torre Colombaia, which once served as a majestic entrance to the fortress, adorned with two arches — one still proudly standing and the other now just a shadow on a younger wall — was gently transformed. First, it became a domestic refuge, then a rustic stable, and finally, a practical warehouse. At the top of the tower, the uppermost level, once a vibrant dovecote, underwent a similar metamorphosis, becoming a dwelling before the nineteenth century began to whisper its first secrets.

In 2019, under the watchful eye and firm hand of the Valdostan Superintendence, a delicate recovery process began, which would restore the ground floor of La Torre Colombaia to its former glory. This significant intervention reached completion in April 2024, once again weaving together the threads of the past and present into a tapestry of stone and wood.

From the medieval era, the tower has zealously preserved its massive walls and intricately carved beams, now delicately restored. The floor, a silent witness of the thirteenth century, has been lovingly recovered and transformed. Its sturdy planks now form the kitchen, windowsills, and shelves, supporting not only dishes and cutlery but also the weight of centuries of history.

The bathroom door, a piece of Swiss pine, also speaks of a past that refuses to be forgotten. It was recovered from a nineteenth-century door that once closed a wall cupboard on the upper floor and now protects and hides the most intimate secrets of the present.
In the studio, under the ceiling of carved beams, is a walnut desk varnished with shellac, a witness of the nineteenth century. Next to it rest two walnut chairs, with rush seats woven in marsh lacing, conversing with a larch wardrobe whose original doors, coming from Gressoney, hold echoes of long-forgotten conversations. Completing this corner of history is a nineteenth-century painting, in which the figure of a man, perhaps a Garibaldian, can be glimpsed, his silent presence seeming to welcome those who cross the threshold, guardian of a past that continues to live in every corner of the dwelling.

Bibliography:

• Castelli Valdostani, A. Zanotto, Musumeci Editore, Aosta, 1980
• Valle d’Aosta medievale, A. Barbero, Liguori Editore, Napoli, 2000
• Fare urbanistica tra XI e XIV secolo, a cura di C. Bonardi, Edizioni Kappa, Roma, 2014
• Arnad: dalla casa forte della costa al castello vallaise L’evoluzione della dimora e gli inventari del suo mobilio, R. Bertolin, Saint Christophe, 2004
• Castelli e caseforti della Valle d’Aosta, F. Caresio, Priuli&Verrucca, 2013