The southern part of the city of Aosta is now nearly deserted, and appears to have been never very thickly peopled. Cultivated fields and meadows may be seen, hedged in on one side by the ancient bulwarks which the Romans raised as a wall, and on the other by garden fences. This solitary spot, however, affords wherewithal to interest the traveller. Near the gate of the city are the ruins of an old castle, in which, if popular tradition is to be relied on, Count René de Chalans, infuriated by jealousy, left his wife, the Princess Marie de Braganza, to die of hunger, in the fifteenth century. Hence the name of Bramafan, which signifies the cry of hunger, given to this castle by the people around. This tradition, which may be disputed, gives an interest to the ruins in the eyes of people of sensibility.
A hundred steps further on is a square tower, built of the marble that once covered the antique walls beside it. It is called the Hold of Terror, because it is commonly believed to be haunted. The ancient dames of Aosta can still remember seeing a tall woman robed in white, with a lamp in her hand, issue from the tower on dark nights.
About fifteen years ago, this tower
was repaired by the order of the government, and surrounded by an enclosure, for the purpose of lodging a leper, through fear of contagion if left at large, and at the same time affording him every comfort his sad condition allowed. The Hospital of St. Maurice was ordered to supply his wants. It furnished him with some articles of furniture and the implements for cultivating a garden. Here he lived for a long time, left completely to himself, and never seeing any one, except the priest who came from time to time to administer the consolations of religion, and the man who, every week, brought him his provisions from the hospital.
During the war in the Alps in the year 1797, a soldier, who was in the city of Aosta, happened to pass by the leper’s garden. The gate was ajar, and he had the curiosity to enter. He saw a man in a simple garb, leaning against a tree, as if lost in profound meditation. At the sound of the officer’s steps, the recluse, without turning around or looking up, cried in a sad tone: “Who is there? and what do you wish?”
“Excuse a stranger,” replied the soldier, “whom the attractive appearance of your garden has induced to commit an indiscretion, but who
by no means wishes to disturb you.”
“Do not come any nearer,” replied the inmate of the tower, motioning him back with his hand. “Come no nearer: you are in the presence of an unfortunate being afflicted with leprosy.”
“Whatever may be your misfortune,” replied the traveller, “I shall not go away. I have never shunned the unfortunate. But, if my presence annoys you, I am ready to withdraw.”
“You are welcome,” replied the leper, suddenly turning around. “Remain, if you have the courage after looking at me.”