Top 6 Castles around Pertusio

Beautiful old town with imposing buildings and views of the mountains.

Agliè, an enchanting village in the heart of Canavese, boasts a thousand-year history that has its roots in the Roman era. The original nucleus, probably located on the hills of the current hamlet of Santa Maria delle Grazie, was known as "Macunciacum" and depended on the Abbazia Fruttuaria di San Benigno. Agliè, as a fortified village, emerges in documents in 1141, when the feudal lords of Canavese divided the territory. The town became one of the lands of the San Martino di Rivarolo and Agliè, a family that would profoundly mark the history of the village. Despite the feudal struggles that raged in the region, Agliè maintained relative stability, even if it was not immune to looting and devastation. With the arrival of the Savoy, Agliè experienced a period of growth and development. In 1448, the village obtained municipal statutes, a sign of autonomy and recognition. The most emblematic figure of this period was Count Filippo San Martino di Agliè, a man of culture and prominent politician. Minister of Cristina of France, regent of the Duchy of Savoy, Filippo transformed the castle of Agliè into a sumptuous residence, enriching it with works of art and gardens. Today, Agliè is a village that preserves its historical and artistic charm intact. The Ducal Castle, with its gardens and richly decorated rooms, is an unmissable destination for visitors. The streets of the village, with their stone houses and noble palaces, tell the story of a place that has managed to preserve its identity over the centuries.

The morainic area on which the town of Torre Canavese is located was already inhabited in the Bronze Age. The Romans occupied the area after the victorious war against the Salassi (143 BC). The construction of a tower at the crossroads between the Romea road and a second road that led to Valchiusella dates back to Roman times: from this the town took its name. In the highest part of the town there is a castle built at the time of King Arduino (955-1014). The town is mentioned for the first time in a document from the 11th century where it appears with the name of Turre Canepitii; at that time it already belonged to the fiefdom of the Counts of San Martino, a noble family that greatly influenced the historical events of the Canavese. The regency of the fiefdom was held for centuries by the Counts of San Martino, vassals of the House of Savoy. One of the cadets of the dynasty is responsible for the construction, towards the middle of the 16th century, of a noble residence, called the Palace, which stands near the castle. The castle, which has undergone progressive transformations and modernizations over time, is owned by the family of the antique dealer and art dealer Marco Datrino, to whose initiative we owe a series of prestigious exhibitions, which have brought fame to the town. A large representation of artists from the former Soviet Union and other foreign countries have embellished the walls of the houses with painted panels, a sort of ‘en plein air’ museum, which also hosts works by some artists from Canavese. In the town there is also a small art gallery named after Raissa Gorbaciova.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, the Ducal Castle of Agliè is perhaps the most significant architectural work in the Canavese area. The current appearance of the majestic castle is the result of four major construction phases, which led it to change its shape over the centuries, transforming it from a fortified building from the Middle Ages to a true royal residence, as can still be admired today.

Pont Canavese is located like an enchanted village at the foot of the mountains, located between the Soana valley and the Orco valley. Its towers and stone houses clearly convey its medieval past. Right below this suggestive location stands the hermitage of Santa Maria in Doblazio, an ancient parish church that dates back to around the year one thousand, giving an aura of antiquity to the village.

The castle of Rivara, an important seat of the Cenacle of painters of the Rivara school, is located 30 kilometers from Turin in the Canavese valleys. It is made up of three distinct buildings: the medieval castle, the neo-baroque villa and the stables, surrounded by a park of over 45,000 square metres. Inside, numerous ateliers and rooms regularly host Italian and foreign artists. The multifunctional exhibition space is 2,530 square meters, and the artistic direction was entrusted to Franz Paludetto from 1985 to 2023, the year of his death.

Between the waters of Orco and Soana, at the point of their meeting at the mouth of the Franco-Provençal valleys of the same name, stands Pont Canavese.

Pont Canavese is a village at the foot of the mountains located at the fork that separates the Val Soana from the Orco Valley. Its towers and stone houses make you understand the medieval soul of the city. The abbey that stands out, easily visible on leaving the village, is the ancient parish church of Santa Maria in Doblazio