세인트 빈센트‬에서 가장 멋진 ‪7‬개의 동굴

Bridge over the Dora - view of Ussel Castle: The Castello di Ussel, also known as Castello Baron Gamba, is an impressive medieval castle in the Valle d’Aosta region, Italy. The castle is located on a steep rocky cliff and overlooks the Dora Baltea valley.

The Castello di Verrès is an impressive medieval castle in the Aosta Valley, built in the 14th century by Yblet de Challant. The castle is known for its unique monolithic structure, which resembles a solid cube and differs from most other castles of the time which consisted of multiple buildings within a walled enclosure. Dominating the town of Verrès and the entrance to the Val d'Ayas, the castle has a military character that merges with elegant stone details that adorn the windows, doors and monumental mantelpieces. The castle has no corner towers nor a keep.

The Castello Gamba, also known as Castello Baron Gamba, is a palazzo of 20th century origins in the town of Châtillon, located on a hill in the western region of the city, near the regional hotel school. Surrounded by a park open to the public all year round, the castle offers spectacular views over the valley. It was built as a summer residence and is named after its owner, the Turin baron Carlo Maurizio Gamba. The building's architecture, influenced by the medieval revival style of the time, includes two symmetrical wings that protrude slightly from the front of the castle. Located on the rocky cliff of Crêt-de-Breil, the castle overlooks the Dora Baltea and was originally built as a declaration of love by Baron Gamba to his beloved wife, Angélique Passerin d'Entrèves, originally from Châtillon. Inside, the castle houses the Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea della Valle d'Aosta, with a permanent exhibition of more than 150 works, including those of the famous Romantic painter J.M. William Turner and other artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The castle, built no earlier than the 13th century with a rectangular structure, was part of the heritage of the lords of Montjovet. Only later, following the marriage between Ebalo the Great and Alexie of Chenal, did it become the property of the Challant family: in this way, the two families could control the passages on the road between Chenal and the castle of Montjovet. Today, the castle, located along the route of the Via Francigena and the Cammino Balteo, is reduced to a ruin.

Nice castle 🏰 or at least what's left... the castle is now closed to the public but it's still a nice place to visit

The first village you meet once you start the cycle path is Bovaye. Four houses and little more but an interesting view of the Gamba castle that looks down on us all.

Still on the bridge over the Dora, but turning away from Chatillon there is this beautiful view of the castle of Ussel which is located on top of a spur of rock which, in the use of past eras, served to dominate the surrounding area.

Built on a rocky peak overlooking the village below, the castle is mentioned for the first time in 1287 as the property of the De Verretio lords. It was Ibleto di Challant, exponent of one of the main noble families of the Aosta Valley, who in the last decade of the fourteenth century had the manor take on its current form, according to a completely innovative building typology. The castle, unlike the other Aosta Valley examples consisting of several buildings enclosed in a wall, looks like a compact block, about thirty meters on each side, with a purely military character. Its interior, on the other hand, appears less austere and rigid, thanks to the majesty and airiness of the staircase in the courtyard - set on flying buttresses - and the decoration of the windows, doors and shelves of the monumental fireplaces, due to excellent craftsmanship. From the mid-1500s, following the extinction of the family, the decline of the castle began, culminating in its abandonment for more than three centuries. At the end of the 19th century the fortress was restored, thanks to the action carried out by a group of Piedmontese intellectuals, among which Alfredo d'Andrade, Vittorio Avondo, Giuseppe Giacosa. Source: https://www.regione.vda.it/cultura/patrimonio/castelli/castello_verres/default_i.asp