Sarriod de la Tour Castle, Saint-Pierre, Italy

Sarriod de la Tour Castle was originally a typical of the style built between the 10th and 12th centuries, and was greatly expanded by Jean Sarriod in 1420 and his son, Antoine, in 1478. The north wing's ground floor features a wooden-ceilinged 'Hall of Heads', named for its decorative motifs.

The Sarriod de la Tour Castle was the family residence of the Sarriod family since its founding. The Sarriods were politically linked to the powerful Bard family in the County of Savoy. The oldest part of the castle included a chapel and square tower, or donjon, surrounded by the castle walls. In 1420 Jean Sarriod expanded upon the 'turris Sariodorum', as the donjon was known. The 'Hall of Heads', built in 1430, features 171 corbels of grotesques of mythological monsters and animals bearing coats of arms.

In 1478 Jean's son, Antoine Sarriod de la Tour, refurbished the chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist, by having painted the external frescoes of the Crucifix and Saint Christopher and caused to be built the small bell tower. The castle wall's circular and semi-circular towers were added sometime in the late 15th century, when a new entrance was created on the eastern side. In the 16th century a west-facing wing was added, then, in the 17th century, a north tower. The Sarriod family inhabited the castle until 1923. In that year the castle went to the Genoese Bensa family. Since 1970, it has been property of the autonomous Region Aosta Valley.

Sarriod de la Tour is open to visitors year round.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Frank (4 years ago)
Nice from the outside. Visited guides in Italian only, no pictures allowed inside. There are a few info panels in English, but they are very rudementary. They should work on this to attract more international tourists. Guide wasn't too friendly

hike&bike Italy (5 years ago)
The castle was built, restored, adandouned, refurbished many times. Every room and every stone tells a different story. The guided tour is so intriguing. It is one of the most interesting castles of the Valley

Chen Li (6 years ago)
I came to and visited it during Christmas time. Fortunately it is open! Really worth to visit I have to say! The views from the castle is quite good and I really love the wooden sculptures inside. The guide is so professional and vivid, more than good! Thank you Mr. M..sorry I forgot the full name of my guide. Thank you for your extra showing around and English guide for me!

Fran Cheshire (6 years ago)
Great visit, the guide was very helpful and patient as our Italian wasn’t very good!! Must to see the felling of the castle ... good history thru the years

Hamida Khan (6 years ago)
A small but interesting Castle with a lot of history. We were given a fantastic guided tour by Max. €3 for entry into the castle with wonderful views.

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Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

Sarriod de la Tour Castle

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