Visiting Fénis Castle at the Aosta Valley

Castello di Fénis

City of Fénis

Finding worthwhile museums to visit has been always in our interest when traveling in Italy. And so it was for this holiday.

For the last full day of our winter holiday we chose to visit in the mediaval Fénis Castle (Castello di Fénis), which is one of the most famous castles in Aosta Valley. Driving to the city Fénis took about an hour (50 km) from Antagnod and Monte Rosa.

Finding the Fénis castle wasn't difficult once we arrived to the small city of Fénis. The gray towers and castle's battlemented walls stood on a top of a hill where it can be seen easily. The castle looks exactly what a castle should look a like in an alpine environment. Castle with strong towers surrounded by two layers af walls around it.

Fénis castle is old and it has been mentioned already on 1242 and from 1320 to 1420 the castle was expanded to the actual appearance. Visiting the castle was limited so that guests were allowed to see only the outer parts of the castle on their own. To get inside into the actual castle building we had to wait for a guide to walk us through the courtyard and rooms of the castle. Of course taking photos was not allowed from the inside.

For us one of the most noticeable detail was the courtyard.  The yard was like a real life scenery stolen from fantacy movie. It had still the glow of the old glory days of the knights and nobles. Surprisingly lot of the internals of the castle were partially renovated and decorated with the era's furnitures.

Fénis Castle if definitely a worthwhile place visit if you travel nearby the Aosta Valley or if the weather in Cervinia or Monte Rosa is not suitable for skiing.

Read more:
Wiki - Fénis Castle
Fenisweb

Fénis 19.3.2013