Castello di Tour de Ville, Medieval castle in Gressan, Italy.

Castello di Tour de Ville is a castle featuring a square tower rising from rocky ground with distinctive long corner stones at the base. The building combines different construction periods and shows both sturdy stone structures and refined architectural details.

The de La Tour de Villa family, one of the ten noble families documented in the Aosta Valley between 1000 and 1200, built the castle around 1191; in the 13th century it held the office of vice-domini of Aosta. It passed by inheritance to the Aymonier and then the Carrel families, and later to the parish of Saint-Laurent in Aosta, which assigned it to its fund for the poor, hence the name tour des Pauvres. After a period of decay Vincent Carlin bought it in 1864 and sold it in 1885 to Bishop Joseph-Auguste Duc, who restored it as his summer residence; since 1945 it has belonged to the Arruga family of Milan.

The castle's name comes from the Seigneurs de Villa au Gressan, who built it around 1191; it was long called tour des Pauvres because the parish of Saint-Laurent in Aosta later owned it and assigned it to its fund for the poor. Inside, the Renaissance residential block holds a monumental reception hall, a chapel with frescoes attributed to the Artari, and a hall of coats of arms showing the Savoy arms and those of Valdostan noble families, as also seen in the courtyard of Issogne Castle.

The castle stands on a granite outcrop among the apple orchards and vineyards of Gressan, visible from the SR 20 regional road; take the road to the hamlet of the same name to reach it. It was private and closed to visitors until 2011, when it became a lodging and venue for temporary exhibitions. A short walk leads to the torre de la Plantaz downhill and to the church of Sainte-Marie-Magdeleine, whose facade was frescoed in 1453, to the east.

A distinctive feature is the clear division into two building sections with different styles and periods. The older tower with sturdy proportions contrasts with the refined residential area, which displays elegant twin windows and reflects a different artistic refinement.