The Tour Fromage
A tower with an appetising name, set against the Roman wall of Aosta
Its name makes visitors smile: fromage means cheese. Yet the Tour Fromage has nothing to do with fontina. It is named after a noble family of Aosta. This square tower stands against the Roman wall, very close to the ancient theatre.
The Casei, or du Fromage family
The tower was built around the 12th century by the du Fromage family, also called Casei (from the Latin caseus, cheese). These minor nobles were vassals of the lords of the Porte Saint-Ours and held fiefs from the bishop. The tower appears in a deed of 1191 issued by Count Thomas I of Savoy. In the 15th century, the last heiress, Jeannette du Fromage, married Claude Vaudan. The tower then passed to the Vaudan family.
A banquet for a governor
In 1549, the tower received a distinguished guest. An official dinner was given there for Ferrante Gonzaga, governor of Milan, sent by the Emperor Charles V. It shows that the old tower was still used as a noble residence.
Against the Roman wall
The tower is square in plan and has three floors. Over the centuries, it was altered and enlarged several times. Houses were built against it. They were demolished in the 20th century to clear it. Today it can be seen well from the archaeological area of the Roman theatre, next to the walls.
An exhibition space
The tower belongs to the Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley. Since 1975, it has hosted art exhibitions from time to time. A self-portrait attributed to Leonardo da Vinci has even been shown there.
How to see it
Tour Fromage
Via Antica Zecca (Mint Street)
11100 Aosta (AO)
The tower is not open to the public outside exhibitions. It can be seen freely from the street and from the Roman theatre site.
Main photo: Patafisik, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Maps: personal work by Marc Badjou.
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