The room is dedicated to the castle’s history, archaeological excavations and the coats of arms of the Aosta Valley noble families. It is decorated in the neo-Gothic style, as may be seen by the pews and stalls, the tall chairs and the tables decorated with motifs depicting the coats of arms of the lords of Saint-Pierre. A modern multimedia touch station gives further information. The room has undergone significant structural work and conservative restoration.
The differences illustrated here are those that characterise the mountain environment at various altitudes. From the vineyards and olive groves of the lower valley, the terrain rises to the glacial environs of Mont Blanc. It tells of great biodiversity in the Aosta Valley, as may be seen from the many animal and plant species living in an area of a few kilometres, and by the many protected parks, nature reserves, Natura 2000 sites and alpine botanical gardens.
This is the heart of the castle, with its neo-Gothic style, decorations, wooden floor with two-tone squares and wrought-iron chandeliers. It takes visitors to a nineteenth-century museum, with historic showcases in the exhibition style of the time and full of exhibits. A video reveals the activities carried out in the museum’s operational site, such as the conservation of collections, dissemination and scientific research. Modern biotechnologies help with biodiversity protection.
The beauty and character of mountains depend on what they are made of. This room offers an in-depth look at the geology of the Aosta Valley thanks to giant photos of the mountains. The soaring lines of the Matterhorn and the dolomitic shapes of the Cime Bianche are shown, together with geological and soil maps, virtual interviews and the rocks of the Alps, among which are Mont Blanc granite and Gran Paradiso gneiss.
The small basement room brings visitors closer to the region’s antique mining tradition, ranging from the famous Cogne mines to the lateral valleys from La Thuile to Saint-Marcel and on to the Ayas Valley. It recounts the past through mineral finds, by-products and films from the period that portray moments of the life and work of Aosta Valley miners. This epic story is now a memorial and tourist attraction.
In this room, we see how slopes exposed to the sun (l’adret) and those in the shade (l’envers) create differences in temperature and climate. This influences crops, ecosystems, plant and animal species and the mood of inhabitants. There are various insights into themes of rainfall and temperatures, with a focus on climate change and the hot and dry xerothermic areas of the Aosta Valley.
The Abbés savants (learned abbots) of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries animated the culture of the Aosta Valley. They were dedicated to the study, research, the dissemination of natural sciences, and the education of new generations. They founded the Societé de la Flore Valdôtaine and the first natural science museum that is, today, the Efisio Noussan Regional Natural Science Museum.
This room is dedicated to Efisio Noussan, a well-known local entrepreneur and a passionate connoisseur of the culture and natural environment of the Aosta Valley. Thanks to his tenacity, the Société de la Flore Valdôtaine, which had interrupted its activities in the Second World War, reopened in the early 1970s. The Regional Natural Science Museum was established in 1985 and today bears his name.
Using dioramas and naturalistic reconstructions, the two rooms take visitors into settings linked to the presence of water and their delicately balanced character. A visual and sound experience shows the vital force of water in the Valle d’Aosta, going from the glacier to the high-altitude spring, the alpine lake, the waterfall, peat bog, marsh, stream and pond.
This is where visitors discover Aosta Valley tree species and monumental plants, the various eating habits of birds, and the mountain forest environment. A short night walk, at the start of a new day, offers a sensory experience comprising mysterious shadows, primordial sounds, trees, birdsong and forest inhabitants, all in a life-size setting.
A reproduction of rocky environments that shows how species adapt to “vertical” life. This includes man, who masters the void with infrastructures, terraces and suspended villages. The inhabitants of plains and cities cannot comprehend that someone can inhabit the void as it seems so dangerous. However, for those who live in the mountains, where slopes are the rule and plains are the exception, it is necessary. Several 3D-printed animal and plant reproductions are exhibited in the display cases.
A video wall offers a kind of journey up to the Alpine meadows, to see the changes caused by the passage of time. Flowers sprout and wither, the traces of animals are retained and erased, and herds, flocks and shepherds come and go. Green in summer and white in winter, the meadow marks the passing of the Alpine seasons.
For at least two hundred years, the glaciers have been the main tourist attraction of the Valley. They are a laboratory of scientific discoveries, a climbing gym, landscape modellers, important environmental indicators and an irreplaceable water reserve. The room shows visitors a video interview on the birth of alpine mountaineering, information on glaciers and the effects of climate change. The glacier is “living” material that slips down to the valley in a freezing stream.
In the last room, the magnificent seventeenth-century viret concludes the visit itinerary and the museum experience. Spectacular panoramas, engaging images and symphonic music offer an immersive and emotional experience, arousing interest and curiosity and leading to the discovery, with greater awareness, of local Aosta Valley nature.