This strong-house was built to control whoever passed. It stands at Runaz, along the line of the Roman road of the Gauls, a few hundred metres from the gorge of Pierre-Taillée, the point where the valley narrows and nobody can avoid going through. Today it holds the village library and an archive of recorded sound.
What to see
The building is of the fourteenth or fifteenth century and was wanted by the d'Avise family, who had been here for at least two centuries and had made their fortune out of that forced passage. They were one of the strongest houses in the Aosta Valley, and one of the few who never wished to ally with the Savoy.
In the fifteenth century the fief was divided among four brothers, and one of them became lord of Runaz: the same family built three other castles nearby. The building belongs to the region and has been turned into a multipurpose centre, with the library, a small auditorium, exhibitions and a permanent display devoted to the airwaves and to radio, curated by the association that gathers the sound archives of the valley.
Visiting
Runaz is a hamlet of Avise, on the main road of the Valdigne; entry follows the hours of the library and of the activities, so it is worth checking first. Half an hour, more if there is an exhibition.
Our editors' tip
Walk the few steps that separate the house from Pierre-Taillée and look at the rock: there the Roman road was cut into the cliff face, because there was no other way. That is the reason this house stands exactly here, and two minutes on foot explain it better than any panel.