Medieval Italy: castles of north west
Suggestive Italian locations and beautiful ancient castles take us this week in a discovering trip of the North west Italy. We started our medieval journey in Trentino Alto Adige region, we spent some time in Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Now we are moving slowly towards Aosta Valley, Liguria, Lombardy and Piedmont.
Aosta Valley is the smallest Italian region, located between France and Switzerland, with a rich feudal history and the roof of the old Continent,the highest European mountain Mont Blanc.The most famous castle is Fénis, dating back in 13th century, well known for its extraordinary architecture and the evocative power of its towers and walls. A symbol of regional medieval architecture, Fénis is nowadays the most important touristic attraction of Aosta Valley. Considering the location of the building it is often imagined that the castle might once have been a Roman villa although there are no historical sources that could back up that hypothesis.
The first mention of the ‘castrum Fenitii’ goes back to 1242 when it belonged to the Challant family, Aimone and Bonifacio I, viscounts of Aosta. The castle’s most important development took place between 1320 and 1420. In the mid-14th century the external walls were added without the souther tower constructed later. Due to the 1392 restoration campaign of Bonifacio it was built a prison on the ground floor and the internal courtyard got endowed with a semi-circular stairs. Moreover, between 1414 and 1420, he commissioned to Giacomo Jaquerio the frescoes in the chapel and in the internal courtyard. If you visit a chapel today you can admire numerous paintings depicting religious scenes of the time. On the walls at the end of the semi-circular-stepped staircase there is the fresco which shows Saint George killing the dragon. After 1716 Fénis was transformed in a country home. In 1895 architect Alfredo d’Andrade purchased the castle and started a new restoration campaign in 1898 and completed in 1920. De Vecchi and Mesturino restored it for the last time in 1935, giving the castle its current appearance. Today Fénis is a property of the Autonomous Region Aosta Valley, which turned it into a museum.
One of the beloved Italian queens, Queen Margherita, is used to spend summers in a beautiful Savoia castle in Gressonay-St-Jean. Built between 1899 and 1904 Savoia castle was a royal family’s summer residence up to 1925, a year before Umberto I’s widow died. The castle was designed by Stramucci, also responsible for the Neo-Baroque decor in the Royal Palace in Turin and the Quirinale in Rome. Externally covered in grey stone from the quarries in Gressoney, castle has three floors containing living quarters, royal apartments and gentlemen’s room. What is curious, the original kitchens were separated and connected by an underground railway.In the castle today you find some pieces of original furniture and tapestries, as well as ornamental paintings by Cussetti. At the foot of the castle, on the slope facing Gressoney and Monte Rosa, is located the Alpine botanical garden with numerous typical indigenous and exotic pieces. The castle is famous as a set of Italian comedy ‘The worst Christmas of my life’.
We are ending our visit to Aosta Valley at Issogne Castle, property of the Bishops of Aosta up to 1379. The castle was renovated and extended around 1400 by Ibleto of Challant but for its current appearance is to be blamed George of Challant, who transformed it into a luxurious residence. In the centuries Issogne has changed often owners until in 1872 it was bought by the artist Vittorio Avondo who decided to give it to the State after its ultimate restoration. To visit the castle of Issogne you should enter through the courtyard with dramatic overhead and a beautiful fountain. Inside of the castle the places worth to see are the Baron’s hall adorned in frescoes, the chapel with finely decorated vaults, the Knights of St.Maurice room with the Order’s cross painted on it and the King of France’s room where the filing is covered by lilies.
In Liguria, in the beautiful settings of Camogli village overlooking the gulf of Paradiso, lays the ancient defensive construction known as the Dragonara Castle. Unfortunately there are no clear sources about the castle, which makes impossible a historical overview. However, according to some voices it probably dates back to the XIII century. During the centuries the Dragonara castles has been modified a lot. The main function of the castle was to ensure the safety of the village. For that reason it was constantly reinforced by the senate of Genoa. In 1438 the Milanese partisans of the Duchy besieged the building but some years later the inhabitants of Camogli rebuilt new walls spending, according to some old documents, 450 Genoese pounds. After political fights between Camogli and Genoa, in 1448 the Republic decided to destroy the castle. Six years later the castle of Dragonara was constructed again before passing into the hands of the Doge who assumed a total control of it. In the XVI century it became a prison. It is not for its military past that Dragonara is mostly famous for. In the XX century castle hosted the Tyrrhenian Aquarium, a forerunner of the Aquarium of Genoa.
From Camogli we are moving to small village of Lerici, a jewel of the La Spezia coast and encased in a bay with a crystalline sea. Lerici is developed around the spectacular homonym castle, built on a hill that dominates the port area and he historical centre. Lerici has always been the favorite destination of artist, painters and writers, for centuries enchanted by the beauty of the village. The Lerici castle have hosted extremely important people from Medieval history as Francis I of France and the brothers of the first doge of Genoa, Simone Boccanegra, who were prisoners in the castle. Henry VII, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, supposedly it hosted Dante as well, refreshed themselves in its rooms. At the centre of a long dispute between the Republics of Genoa and Pisa, which contended Lerici and its castle because of its strategic position, it was finally conquered by the Ligurians who held it for more than two and a half centuries, with an interval between 1241 and 1256 when it was conquered by Pisa.
The construction of the castle started in 1152 on the ruins of a previous watchtower, which had been built to defend the coast from Saracen raids. After the disputes between the Genoese and the people of Pisa, the Aragonese and Florentines also entered the struggle to establish control over Lerici, until it was conquered again by the Genoese at the end of the XV century. The current look of the fort dates back to 1555, when the third phase of construction was completed. Today castle is home the Geo-paleontological museum, which was established after fossilized footprints were discovered on a rocky surface. It contains among other things some reconstructions of prehistoric environments and the dinosaurs that lived there. The external and internal spaces are used to host events and temporary exhibitions.
Like any self-respecting castle, the one in Lerici also has its legends and ghost: all Lerici inhabitants have heard, at least once, about the existence of an underground escape route that goes from the Castle to the central Piazza Garibaldi.There are, in fact, tanks in various rooms of the castle, and there is a room under the Chapel of Saint Anastasia which can be entered through a small trapdoor. As for the ghost, the one in Lerici Castle is called Maddalena di Castello, also known as Madì, and she was the manager of the Youth Hostel from 1949 until the mid-1970s.
Testimony of ancient times, symbols of power and control, castles had important role as well in the history of Lombardy. Once houses of lords and princes, today touristic attractions, there are many Castles scattered throughout the territory worth of seeing. We are starting our visit at the Sforza Castle, whose original nucleus was the castle named Porta Giovia built somewhere between 1358 and 1368 by the Galeazzo II Visconti. It was not only his residence but above all Galeazzo used the castle as a military garrison. Filippo Maria Visconti made it his fixed residence, continuing with the consolidation and construction of a real fortalice.The building was gravely damaged between 1447 and 1450. It was restored in the XV century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, after whom the new castle was named.
Symbol of the power of the Lords of Milan, the Sforza Castle initially was a residence then a military base. It was nearly destroyed during the Napoleonic period and, during the Five Days of Milan, it was used by Radetzky to bombard the city itself. For this very reason the Castle became a sore point for Milan citizens, some of whom proposed its demolition. The architect Luca Beltrami, instead, subjected it to a long restoration that ended in 1905, essentially rebuilding the Castle according to the original one. Nowadays the Castle still keeps all its charm. Inside it you can find many museums such as the Museum of the Castle with rarities such as the last masterpiece of Michelangelo, the unfinished Pietà Rondanini and the frescoes by Leonardo da Vinci and Bramante, Egyptian Museum, the Museum of Ancient Art, besides a lot of exhibitions all through the year.
Sforza castle wouldn’t be the same if there were no interesting stories to tell, as one of a lady ghost, dressed in black and her face hidden by a leather mask or a black veil. Lady would appear at night and take visitor in the house. After consuming a night of love she would accompany guest through the avenues of the park bringing him back where they had met for the first time. If attempted to retrace lady’s steps and find mysterious villa, it would disappear.
Before leaving Lombardy, on the shore of Lake Maggiore there is a small and cute town called Angera dominated by the Borromeo Castle with the same name as the town. Angera is an ancient fortress built in the XII century, with some elements as the tower added in the XIII century, on a limestone rock outcrop and still in excellent conditions. Together with the Arona Castle, during the Middle Ages it constituted the main strategic control point of Lake Maggiore. Its towers and battlements are tall and imposing, and its frescoed rooms are equally magnificent. Some of the main reasons for visiting the Castle are represented by its medieval gardens and its spectacular view over the lake. If you like toys you will be happy to visit the Doll Museum hosted inside the Castle, keeping ancient toys of every kind and material.
We are ending our virtual trip in Piedmont, in a small village of 679 inhabitants that has given its name to one of the greatest Italian red wines - Barolo. When walking through village you will note the pedestrian streets dotted with wine merchants, cellars and boutiques. However, Barolo’s flagship monument is its castle of medieval origin, whose owners, Marquis Falletti of Barolo and his wife Juliette Colbert (great-granddaughter of Louis XIV’s minister) invest a huge amount of money to make Barolo an exceptional wine as we know it today. The castle, that offer guided tours in English and Italian, has an impressive library with 3,000 volumes to be admired and where the Italian patriot and writer Silvio Pellico used to work as a librarian. The wine lovers can also visit the castle’s cellars containing a splendid wine collection and taste wine at the spot where it was born.
One of the oldest of the Savoy residences, and certainly worth to visit, is the Castle of Moncalieri, located just a short way from Torino. It rises in all its restrained monumentality to guard the River Po.The Moncalieri Castle has always been considered a building of remarkable architectural interest. Its remote origins date back to the XII century. Defended by imposing city walls, it overlooks a large park in which pleasant outbuildings are located. The manor’s present appearance dates back to the XVII century and it was only in the first half of the XIX century, after 1817, that was restored to its present look. The castle is known as the place where on 20 November 1849 the Proclamation of Moncalieri was signed, countersigned by Massimo d'Azeglio, with which the king dissolved the Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber was asked to approve the new peace treaty with Austria. After being occupied during the Second World War by Nazi-Fascists, partisans and finally by homeless people,in 1948 the complex became the headquarters of the Carabinieri Battalion "Piedmont". The royal apartments, given to the Superintendence for the Environmental and Architectural Heritage of Piedmont, have been restored and opened to visitors in 1991.
The Moncalieri Castle was very much loved by the women in the House of Savoy, such as Queen Marie Adelaïde and the princesses Clotilde and Laetitia. The castle was a place for holidays, where the education of the young princes was imparted and also the setting for ludic events. Victor Amadeus III was the sovereign that most loved and lived in the castle, taking his Court there from July to December.
©2014 Emina Ristovic, The Italian Heritage Magazine
Aosta Valley is the smallest Italian region, located between France and Switzerland, with a rich feudal history and the roof of the old Continent,the highest European mountain Mont Blanc.The most famous castle is Fénis, dating back in 13th century, well known for its extraordinary architecture and the evocative power of its towers and walls. A symbol of regional medieval architecture, Fénis is nowadays the most important touristic attraction of Aosta Valley. Considering the location of the building it is often imagined that the castle might once have been a Roman villa although there are no historical sources that could back up that hypothesis.
The first mention of the ‘castrum Fenitii’ goes back to 1242 when it belonged to the Challant family, Aimone and Bonifacio I, viscounts of Aosta. The castle’s most important development took place between 1320 and 1420. In the mid-14th century the external walls were added without the souther tower constructed later. Due to the 1392 restoration campaign of Bonifacio it was built a prison on the ground floor and the internal courtyard got endowed with a semi-circular stairs. Moreover, between 1414 and 1420, he commissioned to Giacomo Jaquerio the frescoes in the chapel and in the internal courtyard. If you visit a chapel today you can admire numerous paintings depicting religious scenes of the time. On the walls at the end of the semi-circular-stepped staircase there is the fresco which shows Saint George killing the dragon. After 1716 Fénis was transformed in a country home. In 1895 architect Alfredo d’Andrade purchased the castle and started a new restoration campaign in 1898 and completed in 1920. De Vecchi and Mesturino restored it for the last time in 1935, giving the castle its current appearance. Today Fénis is a property of the Autonomous Region Aosta Valley, which turned it into a museum.
One of the beloved Italian queens, Queen Margherita, is used to spend summers in a beautiful Savoia castle in Gressonay-St-Jean. Built between 1899 and 1904 Savoia castle was a royal family’s summer residence up to 1925, a year before Umberto I’s widow died. The castle was designed by Stramucci, also responsible for the Neo-Baroque decor in the Royal Palace in Turin and the Quirinale in Rome. Externally covered in grey stone from the quarries in Gressoney, castle has three floors containing living quarters, royal apartments and gentlemen’s room. What is curious, the original kitchens were separated and connected by an underground railway.In the castle today you find some pieces of original furniture and tapestries, as well as ornamental paintings by Cussetti. At the foot of the castle, on the slope facing Gressoney and Monte Rosa, is located the Alpine botanical garden with numerous typical indigenous and exotic pieces. The castle is famous as a set of Italian comedy ‘The worst Christmas of my life’.
We are ending our visit to Aosta Valley at Issogne Castle, property of the Bishops of Aosta up to 1379. The castle was renovated and extended around 1400 by Ibleto of Challant but for its current appearance is to be blamed George of Challant, who transformed it into a luxurious residence. In the centuries Issogne has changed often owners until in 1872 it was bought by the artist Vittorio Avondo who decided to give it to the State after its ultimate restoration. To visit the castle of Issogne you should enter through the courtyard with dramatic overhead and a beautiful fountain. Inside of the castle the places worth to see are the Baron’s hall adorned in frescoes, the chapel with finely decorated vaults, the Knights of St.Maurice room with the Order’s cross painted on it and the King of France’s room where the filing is covered by lilies.
In Liguria, in the beautiful settings of Camogli village overlooking the gulf of Paradiso, lays the ancient defensive construction known as the Dragonara Castle. Unfortunately there are no clear sources about the castle, which makes impossible a historical overview. However, according to some voices it probably dates back to the XIII century. During the centuries the Dragonara castles has been modified a lot. The main function of the castle was to ensure the safety of the village. For that reason it was constantly reinforced by the senate of Genoa. In 1438 the Milanese partisans of the Duchy besieged the building but some years later the inhabitants of Camogli rebuilt new walls spending, according to some old documents, 450 Genoese pounds. After political fights between Camogli and Genoa, in 1448 the Republic decided to destroy the castle. Six years later the castle of Dragonara was constructed again before passing into the hands of the Doge who assumed a total control of it. In the XVI century it became a prison. It is not for its military past that Dragonara is mostly famous for. In the XX century castle hosted the Tyrrhenian Aquarium, a forerunner of the Aquarium of Genoa.
From Camogli we are moving to small village of Lerici, a jewel of the La Spezia coast and encased in a bay with a crystalline sea. Lerici is developed around the spectacular homonym castle, built on a hill that dominates the port area and he historical centre. Lerici has always been the favorite destination of artist, painters and writers, for centuries enchanted by the beauty of the village. The Lerici castle have hosted extremely important people from Medieval history as Francis I of France and the brothers of the first doge of Genoa, Simone Boccanegra, who were prisoners in the castle. Henry VII, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, supposedly it hosted Dante as well, refreshed themselves in its rooms. At the centre of a long dispute between the Republics of Genoa and Pisa, which contended Lerici and its castle because of its strategic position, it was finally conquered by the Ligurians who held it for more than two and a half centuries, with an interval between 1241 and 1256 when it was conquered by Pisa.
The construction of the castle started in 1152 on the ruins of a previous watchtower, which had been built to defend the coast from Saracen raids. After the disputes between the Genoese and the people of Pisa, the Aragonese and Florentines also entered the struggle to establish control over Lerici, until it was conquered again by the Genoese at the end of the XV century. The current look of the fort dates back to 1555, when the third phase of construction was completed. Today castle is home the Geo-paleontological museum, which was established after fossilized footprints were discovered on a rocky surface. It contains among other things some reconstructions of prehistoric environments and the dinosaurs that lived there. The external and internal spaces are used to host events and temporary exhibitions.
Like any self-respecting castle, the one in Lerici also has its legends and ghost: all Lerici inhabitants have heard, at least once, about the existence of an underground escape route that goes from the Castle to the central Piazza Garibaldi.There are, in fact, tanks in various rooms of the castle, and there is a room under the Chapel of Saint Anastasia which can be entered through a small trapdoor. As for the ghost, the one in Lerici Castle is called Maddalena di Castello, also known as Madì, and she was the manager of the Youth Hostel from 1949 until the mid-1970s.
Testimony of ancient times, symbols of power and control, castles had important role as well in the history of Lombardy. Once houses of lords and princes, today touristic attractions, there are many Castles scattered throughout the territory worth of seeing. We are starting our visit at the Sforza Castle, whose original nucleus was the castle named Porta Giovia built somewhere between 1358 and 1368 by the Galeazzo II Visconti. It was not only his residence but above all Galeazzo used the castle as a military garrison. Filippo Maria Visconti made it his fixed residence, continuing with the consolidation and construction of a real fortalice.The building was gravely damaged between 1447 and 1450. It was restored in the XV century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, after whom the new castle was named.
Symbol of the power of the Lords of Milan, the Sforza Castle initially was a residence then a military base. It was nearly destroyed during the Napoleonic period and, during the Five Days of Milan, it was used by Radetzky to bombard the city itself. For this very reason the Castle became a sore point for Milan citizens, some of whom proposed its demolition. The architect Luca Beltrami, instead, subjected it to a long restoration that ended in 1905, essentially rebuilding the Castle according to the original one. Nowadays the Castle still keeps all its charm. Inside it you can find many museums such as the Museum of the Castle with rarities such as the last masterpiece of Michelangelo, the unfinished Pietà Rondanini and the frescoes by Leonardo da Vinci and Bramante, Egyptian Museum, the Museum of Ancient Art, besides a lot of exhibitions all through the year.
Sforza castle wouldn’t be the same if there were no interesting stories to tell, as one of a lady ghost, dressed in black and her face hidden by a leather mask or a black veil. Lady would appear at night and take visitor in the house. After consuming a night of love she would accompany guest through the avenues of the park bringing him back where they had met for the first time. If attempted to retrace lady’s steps and find mysterious villa, it would disappear.
Before leaving Lombardy, on the shore of Lake Maggiore there is a small and cute town called Angera dominated by the Borromeo Castle with the same name as the town. Angera is an ancient fortress built in the XII century, with some elements as the tower added in the XIII century, on a limestone rock outcrop and still in excellent conditions. Together with the Arona Castle, during the Middle Ages it constituted the main strategic control point of Lake Maggiore. Its towers and battlements are tall and imposing, and its frescoed rooms are equally magnificent. Some of the main reasons for visiting the Castle are represented by its medieval gardens and its spectacular view over the lake. If you like toys you will be happy to visit the Doll Museum hosted inside the Castle, keeping ancient toys of every kind and material.
We are ending our virtual trip in Piedmont, in a small village of 679 inhabitants that has given its name to one of the greatest Italian red wines - Barolo. When walking through village you will note the pedestrian streets dotted with wine merchants, cellars and boutiques. However, Barolo’s flagship monument is its castle of medieval origin, whose owners, Marquis Falletti of Barolo and his wife Juliette Colbert (great-granddaughter of Louis XIV’s minister) invest a huge amount of money to make Barolo an exceptional wine as we know it today. The castle, that offer guided tours in English and Italian, has an impressive library with 3,000 volumes to be admired and where the Italian patriot and writer Silvio Pellico used to work as a librarian. The wine lovers can also visit the castle’s cellars containing a splendid wine collection and taste wine at the spot where it was born.
One of the oldest of the Savoy residences, and certainly worth to visit, is the Castle of Moncalieri, located just a short way from Torino. It rises in all its restrained monumentality to guard the River Po.The Moncalieri Castle has always been considered a building of remarkable architectural interest. Its remote origins date back to the XII century. Defended by imposing city walls, it overlooks a large park in which pleasant outbuildings are located. The manor’s present appearance dates back to the XVII century and it was only in the first half of the XIX century, after 1817, that was restored to its present look. The castle is known as the place where on 20 November 1849 the Proclamation of Moncalieri was signed, countersigned by Massimo d'Azeglio, with which the king dissolved the Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber was asked to approve the new peace treaty with Austria. After being occupied during the Second World War by Nazi-Fascists, partisans and finally by homeless people,in 1948 the complex became the headquarters of the Carabinieri Battalion "Piedmont". The royal apartments, given to the Superintendence for the Environmental and Architectural Heritage of Piedmont, have been restored and opened to visitors in 1991.
The Moncalieri Castle was very much loved by the women in the House of Savoy, such as Queen Marie Adelaïde and the princesses Clotilde and Laetitia. The castle was a place for holidays, where the education of the young princes was imparted and also the setting for ludic events. Victor Amadeus III was the sovereign that most loved and lived in the castle, taking his Court there from July to December.
©2014 Emina Ristovic, The Italian Heritage Magazine