Maison de Cogne Gérard-Dayné

Maison de Cogne Gérard-Dayné is one of the best examples of Aosta Valley traditional architecture. It is a rural house cited in documents that date back 17th century. It was donated by its last owners to the municipality of Cogne to allow for its renovation and fruition.

The Maison is located in Sonveulla, one of the historical areas of Cogne, where the first settlers arrived centuries ago.

The building is particularly complex and highlights the main features of “stone and wood” architecture and the traditional spaces of Cogne houses. The guided tour shows the cor, an interior roofed area that was used as the entrance, the beu , where animals and people coexisted in their daily lives (this system has lasted until the end of the 20th century), the mézòn de fouà, in the part of the house made out of stone (pèira), an area where milk and other food products were processed.

The cellars were where food (cheese, vegetables, wine) were kept during the long winter months.
The large barn, with its imposing structure made of wooden beams has been adapted for temporary exhibitions. There is also a room dedicated entirely to the traditional costume of Cogne.

The guided visit, as well as explaining the architecture, talks about “life once upon a time”, helping to understand how our ancestors used the different areas of the house and how they lived and survived in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Visiting Maison de Cogne Gérard-Dayné is therefore evocative and unique; a reflection about the past and about the lives of our grandparents, a memory that causes emotion.

Cultivation of Maison Gérard-Dayné vegetable garden

In the vegetable garden outside Maison de Cogne Gérard-Dayné, vegetables which for centuries have been mountain people’s means of support are grown.
The educational activities which are carried out in the garden allow to deepen knowledge about vegetables, their sowing and cultivation, harvesting methods and preservation techniques. Special attention is laid on the importance of the Sun, the earth, the water and the farmer’s work in a particular territory like the mountain.

Artisans of Cogne

Fondation Grand Paradis had decided to dedicate a space to the artisans of Cogne. The aim is to enhance the value of local craft, a traditional passion for many people in Cogne, presenting the work in an exceptional setting.
The third edition of the exhibition (8 July - 12 September 2010) is dedicated to artisan women and to crafts traditionally carried out by women. The exhibition includes works by Lea Bérard, Orsetta Jeantet, Barbara Tutino and by the Dentelliéres (lace-makers) of Cogne.

Download brochure of Maison Gérard Dayné

Photo gallery of Maison Gérard-Dayné

Photo gallery of activities in the vegetable garden

Timetable and fares.