The Tour de Villa

On the plain of Gressan, among the apple trees and vines, a tall square tower stands on a small granite knoll. This is the Tour de Villa. With the residence built against it and its crenellated wall, it forms a small castle that is still lived in.

The lords of La Tour

The tower was built towards the end of the 12th century by the lords of La Tour de Villa. This family was one of the oldest in the Aosta Valley nobility. In the 13th century, it held the office of vidomne of Aosta. Afterwards, the castle often changed hands. It even belonged to the parish of Saint-Laurent in Aosta, which managed it for the benefit of the poor. Hence its other name, the ‘tower of the Poor’. In 1885 it was bought by Monsignor Joseph-Auguste Duc, Bishop of Aosta. Since the 1940s, it has belonged to a family from Milan.

A keep without windows

The tower is more than 20 metres high. At the base, its walls are about two and a half metres thick. It has no real windows, only arrow slits. Its original door opens on the north side, seven metres above the ground. It was reached by a movable wooden staircase. Above this door, the original wooden corbels can still be seen.

The residence and the hall of arms

In the 15th century, a semicircular residence on three floors was added. The castle then became a true home. Inside, a great hall still has frescoes with the coats of arms of the Savoys and of noble families of the valley. At the end of the 19th century, Bishop Duc carried out major works: he rebuilt the crenellated wall and opened a door at street level. Some historians have judged them heavy-handed.

How to see it

Tour de Villa
Frazione Tour de Villa, 28
11020 Gressan (AO)
tourdevilla.it

The castle is private and not open to visitors. It can be seen well from the lane through the hamlet. Today it offers bed and breakfast rooms and hosts events.