Perched on top of the hill, La Mothe Castle dominates the village of Arvier. Unfortunately only the four sided tower remains intact, while the ruins of the round tower and the perimeter wall are still visible. From its current appearance, construction of the castle is estimated as being between the end of the 12th and the start of the 13th century, with important modifications in the 15th century. It was first mentioned in 1287, when Aimone de Arverio paid feudal homage to the count of Savoy. According to 18th-century historian Jean-Baptiste De Tillier, the Savoy nobleman Aimar de la Mothe came to Val d’Aosta towards the end of the 13th century and married the heiress of the noble De Arverio family, thus gaining possession of the castle, before restoring it and giving it his own name.
References:The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.
The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick.