At the entrance to the Aosta Valley, 400 metres above sea level, lies the small village of Bardone of the most evocative and best preserved in the entire Aosta Valley, whose name takes us back to the Celtic 'bar' designating a fortress, a fortified place.
It was indeed here that, in the 11th century, Otto of Bard had a castle built on the promontory, taking advantage of the excellent location to impose a toll on travellers and goods.
Today, the Bard Fortress is a museum centre of international renown: the fortress consists of three main buildings, located on different levels: the lowest, the Opera Ferdinando, the middle, the Opera Vittorio, and the highest, the Opera Carlo Alberto, with a total of 283 rooms.
The entire complex recounts in space and time, through guided and multimedia tours, excerpts of Alpine, everyday and military culture.
This is the place where organised events and exhibitions ranging from art, history and current affairs.
But the history of Bard has its origins as far back as the Neolithic period, and rock engravings provide evidence of this.
Today, with its 100 inhabitants, and its arched style full of mullioned windows with cross windows, Bard impresses with the almost magical atmosphere in which it immerses visitors.
What to visit in Bard
Within the picturesque Borgo, the following stand out several buildings of considerable historical interestand architectural features. Casa Challant, with its charming façade overlooking the picturesque little square, has stone windows and traces of painting, while Casa Valperga, adorned with an elegant mullioned window, now filled in, is flanked by two cross-vaulted windows and decorated with various noble coats of arms. The site of the old mill, Casa Urbano, and the characteristic Casa Ciuca, with its striking spiral staircase called the 'viret', add a touch of authenticity to the landscape. The 18th-century Palazzo Nicole, former residence of the Counts of Bard, still shows signs of the 1800 siege with bullet holes on its façade. In the square in front of the town hall, the 12th-century parish church stands out, with a rectangular plan built in the 19th century and a Romanesque-style bell tower.
On the hills surrounding the village stand two small, charming villages, accessible on foot from Jacquemet or by car from Albard di Donnas. Albard, with a few medieval houses and an 18th-century chapel, and Crous, with a few stone dwellings among the chestnut trees, add further nuances of history and beauty to this charming panorama.
In addition to enjoying the breathtaking views offered by the mountain landscape and visiting the museum centre, strolling through the village's narrow streets offers unique charms in every season of the year.
What makes a visit to this pretty little mountain village, which was passed through by many important people, such as Napoleon, Stendhal, and Cavour, more interesting and enjoyable is also its gastronomic heritage. It is here, in fact, that you can taste the "fiuor di cousse"which are stuffed pumpkin flowers baked in the oven. The recipe calls for a filling of lean minced meat, cooked ham, mortadella, bread soaked in milk, parsley, spinach or ribs, Parmesan cheese and egg.
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