Fénis Castle

A doorway to an adventurous, fairy tale realm

When is it open: see the "for further information" section at the bottom of the page
What's not to be missed: the inner courtyard and chapel with relative frescoes
Where is it: in the chief town of Fénis
Why? Because it's worth it: it is a well-built, well-preserved medieval manor

A real medieval icon, Fénis Castle is famous for its extraordinary architecture and the evocative power of its towers and turreted walls. This complex, harmonious structure, which is organised in a concentric manner around an inner courtyard, evokes an almost fairy tale image.

Historical notes
The castle towers were added to the pre-existing keep towards the mid XIV century by Aimone of Challant. The castle was then owned by the Lords of Challant until 1716. A period of abandonment followed, in which the manor was transformed into a country home.

It was purchased in 1895 by Alfred of Andrade, who initiated important renovation work. The castle is now the property of the Regional Council.

Description
It has a pentagon layout; the corners have round towers, expect the south-west corner which has a big tower and the southern corner with a square shaped tower. The keep is surrounded by a double wall, with a look-out tower and walking post. You can access the manor by passing through the square tower. The inner courtyard, with a semi-circular stairs and wooden balcony, is decorated with precious frescoes (St. George killing the dragon

and sages and prophets bearing parchments with proverbs and moral judgements in Old French); the eastern wall represents the Annunciation and some saints. The first two frescoes are attributed to an artist and follower of the Jaquerio school (XV century).

The ground floor has: a weapons and dining hall, a pantry, kitchen, studio and rate collector's office; the first floor has: a chapel with a reception hall and the counts' rooms.