The Tour de l'Archet

In the centre of Morgex, a massive square tower rises above the roofs of the village. This is the Tour de l’Archet. It is one of the oldest in the Aosta Valley. And, unusually, you can go inside: today it houses books and comics.

More than a thousand years old

For a long time the tower was thought to be Roman. Analysis of the timbers in its roof (dendrochronology) gives a different answer: it was built in the very last years of the 10th century. So it is more than a thousand years old. The other buildings around it were added in the 12th and 13th centuries.

A family from Aosta

The tower takes its name from the de l’Archet family. These lords took their name from their first home, in Aosta, which was set inside the Arch of Augustus. At Morgex, they received the Count of Savoy during the ‘general audiences’. The local people would then come to pay homage to him.

Walls more than two metres thick

The tower measures about nine metres on each side. Its walls are more than two and a half metres thick, built of carefully cut stone. It is enclosed in a square building with medieval masonry and a fine stone doorway.

A tower full of books

After restoration, the tower became the headquarters of the Natalino Sapegno foundation in 2010. This study centre is named after a leading historian of literature who was born in Aosta. It keeps a rich library and archives there. Since 2014, the tower has also housed the Biblio-Museo del Fumetto. Its collection, assembled by Demetrio Mafrica, numbers more than 30,000 albums and volumes. A trail through the rooms traces the history of comics, mainly Italian. In summer, exhibitions and workshops for families bring the rooms to life.

Visiting

Tour de l’Archet
Place de l’Archet, 6
11017 Morgex (AO)
+39 0165 235 979 · sapegno.it

Admission to the comics museum is free. Opening times vary with the season and the exhibitions: check with the foundation (segreteria@sapegno.it). Groups must book.