Fénis Castle Fénis Castle ( Italian : " Castello di Fénis " , French : " Château de Fénis " ) is an Italian medieval castle located in the town of Fénis . It is one of the most famous castles in Aosta Valley , and for its architecture and its many towers and battlemented walls has become one of the major tourist attractions of the region . History . The castle first appears in a document in 1242 as a property of the Viscounts of Aosta , the Challant family . At that time it probably was a simple keep surrounded by walls . From 1320 to 1420 , under the lordship of Aymon of Challant and of his son Boniface I of Challant , the castle was expanded to the actual appearance . Under Aymon ' s lordship the castle got its pentagonal layout , the external boundary wall and many of the towers . In 1392 Boniface of Challant began a second building campaign to build the staircase and the balconies in the inner courtyard and the prison . He also commissioned Piedmontese painter Giacomo Jaquerio to paint frescoes on the chapel and on the inner courtyard . Under Boniface I the castle reached its greatest splendor : it was a rich court surrounded by a vegetable plot , a vineyard and a garden where the lord and his guests could relax . The castle belonged to the lords of Challant until 1716 , when Georges - François of Challant had to sell it to Count Baldassarre Castellar of Saluzzo Paesana in order to pay his debts , and for the castle was the beginning of a period of decline . It was turned into a rural dwelling and became a stable and a barn . In 1895 architect Alfredo d ' Andrade purchased it and started a restoration campaign to secure the damaged structures . In 1935 a second campaign by De Vecchi and Mesturino completed the restoration and gave the castle the current appearance . The rooms were also provided with wood period furniture . The castle is today owned by the Autonomous Region Aosta Valley , which turned it into a museum . Description . The castle is located in the town of Fénis in the Aosta Valley region , at about 13 km from the city of Aosta . The keep has a pentagon al layout , with towers at the corners . It is surrounded by a double boundary wall with battlement s and by a series of watchtower s linked by a walkway . Despite his impressive defensive structure , the castle is situated at the top of a small knoll and not of a promontory or another inaccessible and easily defensible place . In fact it was not built for military purposes , but to serve as a prestigious residence for the Challant family . The inner courtyard , at the centre of the keep , shows a semi - circular stone staircase and wood balconies . At the top of the staicase a 15th - century fresco features Saint George killing the dragon , while the walls of the balconies are decorated with images of sages and prophets and proverbs in old French . The frescoes are attributed to a painter from the school of Jaquerio . The interior of the castle is divided into three floors : on the ground floor it is possible to visit the weapon ry , the kitchen , the woodshed and the storage tank to collect rainwater . On the first floor there were the rooms of the lords of the castle , the chapel with frescoes by Giacomo Jaquerio and his school and the court . The second floor , in the attic , was dedicated to the servant ' s quarter and is not visitable . External links . < BR >