The Petit-Monde museum
A restored raccard, barn and granary at Triatel, above Torgnon
In the municipality of Torgnon, the hamlets of Triatel and Étirol make up what is known as the Petit-Monde (“Little World”). The old houses there have been little altered. It is in Triatel that an ecomuseum devoted to rural life in the past has been set up.
Three old buildings
The ecomuseum occupies three buildings typical of the rural architecture of the Aosta Valley: a raccard à chaîne, a barn (the “grandze”) and a granary. They date from the 15th to the 18th century. All three have been restored.
“The labyrinth of memory”
The visit begins on the ground floor of the raccard. Here you find the permanent exhibition “The labyrinth of memory”. It tells the story of the village’s origins, how it developed and the daily life of its inhabitants. The texts are short and easy to read. They are illustrated with drawings by Francesco Corni, which bring back the atmosphere of the old village.
Tools and everyday objects
The other rooms display household objects, farm tools and mementoes of peasant life. The rooms are quiet. It is easy to imagine the sounds of the tools and the smells of the countryside of long ago.
Close by, on the Petit-Monde stream, an old mill completes the visit. There you can discover the old techniques of milling.
A small square that comes alive in summer
In summer the square in front of the museum welcomes visitors and local people. People stop there to chat, and the museum then also serves as a meeting place.
