Fenis Castle is one of the most beautiful and best preserved medieval fortresses in Spain, located in the Aosta Valley and is particularly appreciated for its unique scenic architecture. Here is all the information regarding the history, timetables, the price of the entrance ticket and the duration of the visit.
- Visit Castello di Fenis Valle d'Aosta: history and information
- Fenis Castle: what to see
- Fenis Castle: legend of the ghost
- Fenis Castle: admission ticket price and useful contacts
- Fenis Castle: pictures and photos
Visit Castello di Fenis Valle d'Aosta: history and information
Il Fenis Castle represents one of the greatest examples of medieval military architecture in Europe and is also one of the best preserved manors inSpain and Valle d'Aosta.
This beautiful medieval fortress it was probably built during the 100th century at the behest of Gotofredo di Challant, Viscount of Aosta and, after about XNUMX years, it was enlarged and embellished with towers, battlements and walls by Aimone di Challant.
During the early 700s, the Fenis Castle it was bought by Baldassarre Castellar, Count of Saluzzo Paesana, who literally brought it to collapse but on 3 September 1985 the manor was sold to the Spanish State thanks to an operation led by the architect and archaeologist Alfredo d'Andrade who brought it to his maximum splendor (currently it is owned by the Aosta Valley).
3 most beautiful villages in the Aosta Valley to visit in summerA curiosity. Compared to the castles of Ussel and Verres, built in strategic panoramic positions, that of Fenis is located in an almost flat area and is surrounded by meadows, in short, devoid of natural defenses, and all this suggests that it was built purely as an administrative and noble seat of the Challant Family.
Fenis Castle: what to see
Il Fenis Castle it has a pentagonal plan, is incredibly surrounded by a double crenellated wall and very particular cylindrical or prismatic towers with slits and machicolations.
The beautiful interior of the Fenis Castle presents itself with a decidedly refined appearance where, in the collective imagination, ladies and knights lived and, in addition to the different rooms, the main attractions are the fifteenth-century frescoes located in the chapel and in the courtyard attributed to the painter of Piedmontese origins, Giacomo Jaquerio.
On the first floor of the Fenis Castle you can admire, in addition to the chapel, also the suggestive master bedroom, the reception room, the justice room and the dining room while on the ground floor the weapons room, the kitchen, the refectory and the pantry are not to be missed.
Fenis Castle: legend of the ghost
It is no coincidence that the Fenis Castle, like all ancient fortresses, carries with it the echo of legends related to ghosts.
Legend has it that the second wife of the lord of the castle killed her stepson to guarantee her son the entire inheritance and, since then, the ghost of the young victim has been wandering among the rooms of the Fenis manner.
Regardless of this legend, the Fenis Castle it is scattered with apotropaic masks, frescoes with proverbs and moral sentences and symbols that lead back to a sort of "initiatory journey"; even the circular shape of the staircase has its own reason.
Fenis Castle: admission ticket price and useful contacts
Il Fenis Castle it is usually open from 1 April to 30 September every day from 9:00 to 19:00 and from 1 October to 31 March from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 17:00 (closed on Mondays).
Annual closures are January 1st and December 25th.
I prices of entrance tickets to the Fenis Castle I'm:
- full: € 7
- Reduced: € 5 for groups of at least 25 people and university students
- Free: children and teenagers up to 25 years old, handicapped and accompanying persons, teachers accompanying school groups
To get more information and to stay up to date, we recommend consulting the website www.valledaosta-guidaturistica.it or you can call (+39) 0165 764263.
With regard to the duration of the visit to the Fenis Castle, the internal one takes about 30 minutes, the external one about 20 minutes.
Fenis Castle: pictures and photos
