The 10 Best Castles in Valle d'Aosta, Italy

Among the most famous of the castles in the Aosta Valley, Fenis strikes visitors with its triumph of towers and crenellated walls. The castle sits on flat ground, which is unusual; Aimone de Challant improved it by building an impressive defensive system, which also features double curtain walls. However, more than being a fortress, the Fenis castle was a prestigious and refined residence: the courtyard and the rooms inside are rich in frescoes - the result of a decorating campaign started by Aimone’s son, Bonifacio in all likelihood. Not to miss is the famous St. George slaying the dragon by Jacquerio and his school, on the stone semicircular courtyard staircase. Many of the furnishings present, which are not original to the castle, were purchased by Alfredo d’Andrade, then Superintendent of Fine Arts, who supervised the restoration work at the end of the nineteenth century thus restoring the castle to its former glory.

APRIRA' AL PUBBLICO qualora LA REGIONE VALLE D'AOSTA SIA "ZONA GIALLA" con orario continuato 10-17 nei soli giorni feriali, secondo le disposizioni MIBACT - Majestic, essential, powerful: these are the three adjectives that best describe this castle. A stone cube built in the late fourteenth century by Yblet of Challant on the rock overlooking the town of Verrès, in perfect harmony with the surrounding landscape. The military character of this building perfectly melts with elegant carved stone details decorating its windows, doors and shelves of monumental chimneys. A stunning staircase with flying buttresses reaches the upper floors. Every year the halls of the castle hosts the traditional carnival characters of Verrès, in a blend of history and legend.

APRIRA' AL PUBBLICO qualora LA REGIONE VALLE D'AOSTA SIA "ZONA GIALLA" con orario continuato 10-17 nei soli giorni feriali, secondo le disposizioni MIBACT - The famous pomegranate fountain in the courtyard and the frescoes of the portico are of an extraordinary expressive power. Here are two reasons for this apparently humble building to be one of the most significant and fascinating castles of the Aosta Valley. Rebuilt at the end of the fourteenth century, after the Challant family bought it, its magnificent halls and rooms were conceived by George of Challant in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century, at the turn between the last splendours of the Middle Ages and the innovations of the Renaissance. Thanks to the restoration of late nineteenth century all the richness of the original paintings and furniture has come to us in perfect conditions.

APRIRA' AL PUBBLICO qualora LA REGIONE VALLE D'AOSTA SIA "ZONA GIALLA" con orario continuato 10-17 nei soli giorni feriali, secondo le disposizioni MIBACT - With its pointed turrets standing out from the surrounding woods, the castle of Queen Margarita of Savoy looks straight out of a fairy tale. Though it was built on models of the late Middle Ages, it dates from the early Twentieth century. It was then equipped with the latest technical equipment of that time, and it is surrounded by a large park with all the dependencies and a rocky Alpine garden with many botanical species. The interior still shows part of the original furnishings: paintings, stained glass, wood panelling, coffered ceilings and furniture made according to the taste of the Queen, she is evoked in all its parts by the flower bearing her name. The tour includes the ground and the first floor, connected by a spectacular wooden staircase with griffins and eagles.