Bramafam Tower

Aosta, Italy

Bramafam Tower stands at the corner of Via Bramafam and Viale G. Carducci, along the southern side of the Roman walls. Its official name is Bramafam Castle, but it is commonly referred to as the Tower.

It has a circular rampart, with the Roman walls still visible at its base, and part of the tower which flanked Porta Principalis Dextera, on which it was constructed in around the 12-13th centuries. It belonged to the family of the Viscounts of Aosta, who controlled the entire south-western side of the walls. After receiving the fiefdom of the Challant valley in 1295, they also took its name and became the most important noble family in Val d’Aosta. The fortified house that was their seat, was later moved to the Count of Savoy. Over the subsequent centuries it underwent various other property changes, and lost its representative and administrative importance.It was apparently abandoned in the 16th century.

To explain the origin of the tower’s name, which is still unknown, a legend says that, out of jealousy, the wife of one of the Challants was imprisoned there and left to die of hunger.

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Via Bramafam 1, Aosta, Italy
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Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Italy

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User Reviews

Luca Tirnusciolo (4 years ago)
La torre sorge nel luogo che in epoca romana era occupato dalla Porta Principale Destra della cinta muraria, riadattato a castello in epoca medievale per volere dei visconti di Aosta, antenati della potente famiglia nobile degli Challant. Utilizzata nel corso dei secoli per gli usi più disparati, come tribunale, magazzino del carbone e granaio, sembra debba il suo nome proprio a quest'ultimo utilizzo, La torre è completata da una merlatura guelfa e presenta alcune strette feritoie. La leggenda narra che, durante i periodi di carestia, la popolazione si assembrasse sotto la torre per chiedere il grano che vi era contenuto e di qui il nome Bramafam, "gridare per la fame" in patois valdostano. Esiste un'altra versione, meno credibile, che spiega l'origine del nome. Fu inoltre oggetto di una ristrutturazione a fine '800 che, inoltre, portò alla luce l'antica strada romana e una serie di reperti dell'epoca.
Saverio Saggese (4 years ago)
Lookout point
Juricc Video Mania (5 years ago)
Graz Castle, in the middle of the city. And the wall covers a small part of the city. It is unfortunate that it cannot be internalized. But there seems to be nothing like it, just the wall.
Ermanno Colloca (6 years ago)
Nel corso dei secoli la torre-castello è appartenuta ai signori Challant e ad un conte di Savoia per poi perdere d’importanza ed essere abbandonata intorno al XVI secolo. Non è visitabile, si vede passandoci accanto dalla strada, è un peccato perché è evidentemente abbandonata da ogni tipo di cura da decenni
Andrea Mologni (6 years ago)
Bellissima fortezza realizzata sulla porta della città romana. Peccato che sia chiusa ed in evidente stato di abbandono
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