Maison des anciens remèdes
Interpretation centre on medicinal plants and traditional Aosta Valley remedies, in a 17th-century parish barn, with a sensory route and a garden.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Maison des Anciens Remèdes is housed in a rural building of wood and stone from the late 17th century, built next to the parish house of Jovençan and used until the early 1950s as a shelter for animals, hay and grain. The Comune bought the structure and restored it while keeping its original architecture: glass, stairs and a lift for wheelchair users were inserted without covering the traditional materials, and the old 18th-century mangers were restored.
The museum was inaugurated on 5 February 2011 as a centre dedicated to medicinal plants and their traditional and modern use in the Aosta Valley. Shortly after the opening, the Centre d’Etudes Les Anciens Remèdes was created, a cultural association that promotes research into and knowledge of traditional remedies.
The route is designed as a sensory experience: in the drawers you can touch and smell dried leaves, roots, flowers and seeds, while films tell the stories of Aosta Valley healers and the role of women as keepers of knowledge about herbs. Outside is the Jardin des Anciens Remèdes with mountain herbs.
Highlights
- Apothecary’s shop (Bottega dello Speziale) with drawers to open and consult
- Sensory route with the scents and essences of the plants
- Films on Aosta Valley healers and popular remedies
- Medicinal plant garden (summer season)
- Games and workshops for children
Permanent exhibition
- Percorso sensoriale sulle piante officinali – The route introduces the herbs of the Aosta Valley through drawers to open, essences to smell, films and interactive games.
- Founded
- 2011
- Visitors per year
- approx. 2,789
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €6 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €4Students up to 25 years and people over 70 |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 12 · Free admission for children up to their 12th birthday. |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · Free admission for people with disabilities and one companion. |
| Maison and garden (full) | €10 |
| Maison and garden (reduced) | €6 |
The price of €6 (reduced €4) applies to the Maison alone or to the garden alone. Also free admission with the Abbonamento Musei Valle d’Aosta, Piemonte and Lombardia.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The renovated building has a lift designed for wheelchair users.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 12 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
Children can touch and smell the plants, prepare herbal infusions and play with the herb goose game, the herbal sudoku and the apothecary domino. The guides offer fairy tales with a botanical theme and visits suited to the age of the children.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Jovençan A
Train to Aosta station, then bus line 5 (Aymavilles–Aosta) to the stop “Jovençan A”.
From the A5 motorway, exit at Aosta Ovest and follow the signs for Aymavilles as far as the roundabout, then for Jovençan; the Maison is between the church and the town hall, about 5 km from Aosta.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Groups of at least 8 people must book, by telephone or online; the visit alone or the visit with a workshop is available. Themed guided tours use interactive and multimedia tools. |
