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Some time ago I visited this castle with my mother and my future wife. From the outside it would seem quite anonymous, it looks more like a fortress than a real castle, in fact the first news of this building are from the thirteenth century, where documents speak of a watchtower or fort. It was purchased, after some ownership changes, in 1869 by the King of Italy Vittorio Emanuele II, who renovated it to use it as a residence during his hunting trips in Aosta Valley.
Easily accessible by following the state road 26 in Cogne direction, shortly after passing Aosta City you will find it on your right almost attached to the road. A short climb of a few hundred meters and you can park in a square with about twenty parking spaces not far from the entrance. Once down we walked along a little street of about thirty meters and then cross the main gate.
Immediately on the left we found a small chapel, a few meters later we arrive at the front door, wrapped by a tree that at first look would seem dead. Immediately after the main door there is the ticket office, bought the ticket in a few minutes we joined the group ready to go, accompanied by a guide who was telling us the story and some anecdotes about the Castle and the royal family during the way.
Divided over three floors, the last of which, as often happens, was not open to the public. As for the Savoy Castle, the kitchens were separated from the residential area, since the Queen did not like the smell of food to spread between the rooms.
If the exterior didn't impress me very much, the interior had the opposite effect, full of objects of various kinds, statues, paintings and furnishings, many of them, according to the tourist guide, borrowed from some museums in Turin. We visited the royal rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and dining room, until we reached a corridor that is simply unique, whose walls are deliberately oblique to bring out more of the ornaments that studded the walls, those that at first look might seem pieces of wood are actually horns of ibex and chamois.
Thousands of horns joined together to embellish the walls, a King fixation who loved to hunt these animals, threatened with extinction in this area also thanks to him, since he killed thousands of them. The guide estimated the number of horns at around 3,000.
Considering the high number of pictures taken during the visit, I decided to divide this article in two parts, see you tomorrow with the second part!
Logo by @ran.koree
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