A short distance from Aosta, the valley's capital, sits Fénis, a picturesque town whose well-preserved medieval structures centre on its main attraction: Fénis Castle. Among the most famous medieval manors in the Aosta Valley, it stands as a true jewel and one of the region's defining landmarks. Built for the Challant family, who held it for centuries, the castle is unusual in standing on a low rise rather than a defensible crag, its double ring of walls and crown of towers serving prestige as much as defence. The inner courtyard is its masterpiece: a semicircular stone staircase, wooden galleries and a celebrated cycle of Gothic frescoes, including a Saint George rescuing the princess and a procession of philosophers bearing scrolls.
