In the valley of the Great St Bernard, which here they call the Coumba Freida, carnival is made with the landzette: characters in coloured uniform, with tall hats loaded with flowers and little mirrors and a horsehair tail at the side. Tradition ties those costumes to the passage of Napoleon's troops on their way into Italy in 1800, and the museum at Allein is devoted entirely to this feast.
What to see
The route shows the complete costumes, the wooden masks, the hats and the objects that go with the characters, and explains how they are prepared: who sews them, what they cost, how long they take. There is also the part on the calendar of the feast, which follows precise days and rules nobody writes down and everybody knows.
The little mirrors sewn onto the costumes served, according to tradition, to send the evil eye back, and the tail to sweep bad luck out of the houses. It is a carnival that goes round the villages entering the homes, not a parade to be watched: the difference becomes clear when you look at the objects close up.
Visiting
The museum is in the hamlet of Ayez, at Allein, half an hour by car from Aosta on the Great St Bernard road; openings are limited and seasonal, often by booking, so it must be checked before driving up. An hour.
Our editors' tip
Before going in, look at the house: it is a fortified house of the fifteenth century, built in almost dry stone, with worked windows carrying the inverted drop motif typical of the Aosta valley. From here on you will recognise it on dozens of buildings along the valley, and it is the simplest way to learn to read a rural architecture.