Fénis Castle
A double ring of walls bristling with towers, and a courtyard painted with frescoes
Unlike most castles in the Aosta Valley, Fénis does not cling to a rock. It stands on a low mound at the edge of the plain. With its double ring of walls and its many crenellated towers, it looks just as one imagines a medieval castle.
The residence of the Challant
The castle was built in the 14th century by the Challant family, who shaped the history of the valley for centuries. Fénis was not only a stronghold. It was also the home of one branch of the family. The walls and towers provided defence. Inside, the living quarters were designed for the comfort of lords who lived and entertained there.
A courtyard surrounded by balconies
The centre of life in the castle was the inner courtyard. A semicircular staircase rises from it to wooden galleries on two levels. It is easy to imagine the lords and their guests moving from room to room along these balconies.
St George and the sages
The walls of the courtyard are covered with brightly coloured Gothic frescoes. The best known shows St George slaying the dragon. Along the galleries, sages and prophets hold scrolls inscribed with moral maxims in Old French. These paintings date from the early 15th century. They are attributed to the workshop of the Piedmontese painter Giacomo Jaquerio. Other frescoes, in the rooms and the chapel, show religious scenes and geometric patterns.
Saved at the end of the 19th century
Over the centuries, the castle lost its role as a residence and fell into disrepair. At the end of the 19th century, the architect Alfredo d’Andrade bought it and began its restoration. It is thanks to this work that it is now among the best-preserved medieval castles in the valley.
Visiting
The castle is open to visitors. The tour takes in the courtyard and several rooms. The guides explain how the castle was built and how people lived in it, and tell the legends that surround it.
