They call it the tower of Derby, but it is a church: Sant'Orso, probably built between the eleventh and twelfth centuries in the middle of the village, along the road that leads to the judicial castle and the notarial one. It is the only historic building in Derby open to visitors, and it is still in use.
What to see
On the buttress to the right of the portal a consecration cross survives: it marks the day when Jérôme Ferragatta, bishop of Aosta, consecrated the church, on 22 July 1567. At the pastoral visit of 1416 the building was found to have been recently restored, which pushes its working history a good deal further back.
Visiting
The present appearance is the sixteenth-century one, given back by the restoration of 1967, which stripped away the nineteenth-century decoration added in the meantime. For the community of Derby it remains a mark of identity before it is a monument.
Our editors' tip
You walk past it without noticing, because the name misleads and the bulk looks like a tower. It is worth going in: ten minutes, and it is the only historic interior the village opens.
