Saint-Pierre Castle

Saint-Pierre, Italy

Located on a rocky crag in Tache, the unmistakeably fairy-tale Saint-Pierre Castle is certainly unique. Its famous four side towers (added in the 19th century) give it an almost Disney-like appearance. 

The first records of the castle date from the late 12th century and it is thought that is when the castle was first constructed. Far less grand than it is today, the original castle consisted only of basic walls and two towers.

Over subsequent centuries, the castle had a number of owners including members of the House of Savoy. A family of local nobility purchased the castle in the 17th century and it was that family that expanded the castle into a large fortified residence.

Thereafter, the castle fell into disrepair until its purchase by baron Emanuele Bollati in the 1870s. He renovated the castle and modernised many of its features. It remained in the possession of his family until the 20th century when it was handed over to the town of Saint-Pierre and became the Regional Museum of Natural Science.

References:

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Località Tache 1, Saint-Pierre, Italy
See all sites in Saint-Pierre

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Italy

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.lovevda.it

Rating

4.1/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Roman Theatre (8 km)
Aosta Cathedral (7,7 km)
Regional Archaeological Museum (7,6 km)
Sarre Royal Castle (2 km)
Aymavilles Castle (1,8 km)
Introd Castle (3,8 km)
Sarriod de la Tour Castle (0,5 km)
Leper’s Tower (7,4 km)
Bramafam Tower (7,6 km)


Great St Bernard Hospice (18,2 km)
Porta Pretoria (8,1 km)
San Lorenzo Church (8,2 km)
Sant'Orso Church (8,3 km)
Fénis Castle (20,5 km)
Issogne Castle (36,1 km)
Arch of Augustus (8,5 km)
La Bâtiaz Castle (45,6 km)
Saint-Gilles Church (36,3 km)

User Reviews

Jarno Santi (19 months ago)
Very beautiful castle in an amazing environment. The castle is currently closed due to work in progress in order to organize a natural museum inside its rooms. The castle and the museum should open in 2021.
paolo chapellu (19 months ago)
Il castello di Saint-Pierre è un maniero valdostano, sito nell'omonimo comune. Per il suo aspetto molto scenografico è diventato, insieme al castello di Fénis, uno dei monumenti simbolo della regione. Ospita il Museo regionale di scienze naturali della Valle d'Aosta. Nel 2008 il castello è stato chiuso per permettere i lavori di ristrutturazione e consolidamento dell'edificio e la riorganizzazione del percorso espositivo. Il castello e il museo non sono attualmente visitabili.
Jeff Scott (2 years ago)
Amazing
Dainius Kanapeckas (2 years ago)
Beautiful place, but temporary closed.
Fabrizio Malisan (2 years ago)
Stunning castle surrounded by mountains.. definitely a place to visit!
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania
Photo from Flickr, copyright Makser

Historic Site of the week

Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2020 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.