Issogne and Fenis: stunning castles in Val d’Aosta

On the right bank of the Dora Baltea, in Val d’Aosta, is a residential fort that dates back to the 1400s. Issogne Castle takes its name from the nearby town. It was created in Renaissance style, sparingly adorned on the outside, almost austere, with towers that are only slightly higher than the fort itself. The surrounding defensive wall encloses a small courtyard, the center of which has a fountain in the form of a pomegranate tree made of wrought iron, with water flowing from its branches. The internal part of the defensive wall contain many frescoes depicting the coats of arms of the Challant family, who built the fort and owned it for many years. The spaces underneath the cross vaults of the portico in the courtyard are decorated with realistic, colorful designs. Several interior rooms of the castle may be visited, having been carefully refurbished, including the kitchen, with typical objects from the period, the dining room and the baronial room with exposed ceiling trusses and walls decorated with landscapes, hunting scenes and the Judgment of...