Italy · 10th century
Avigliana Castle is one of the oldest castles in Piedmont, reputedly dating back to the 10th century. It is in Avigliana at the mouth of the Susa Valley, 25 km from Turin. It is presently a ruin.
The castle is on the summit of Mount Pezzulano (467 m a.s.l.) just above the town of Avigliana. It lies a short distance from Avigliana's medieval town centre (Piazza Conte Rosso). It overlooks the Avigliana lakes (especially Lago Grande), the morainic hill of Rivoli and the famous Sacra di San Michele.
It is said that Cleph, king of the lombards, built the earliest fortification on the Pezzulano peak in 574, but the earliest mention of the current structure is in 924 under the margrave of Turin Arduin Glaber. With its mighty bulk and high towers, it expanded rapidly thanks to its position (it was the last stronghold before Turin for those invading from France), undergoing frequent assaults and much looting over the centuries.
The earliest mention of a castrum Avilianae dates back to 961. It is first documented in the marginalia of a chronicle dated between 1058 and 1061 concerning the foundation of the Sacra di San Michele. The chronicler mentions that the margrave Arduin V used to reside in the castle of Avigliana. This stronghold also performed an important defensive function as a base during the 10th century in the long fight against the Saracen invasion of north-western Italy.
In 1137, the building is documented as being one of the favourite seats of Amadeus III, Count of Savoy when he resided on this side of the Alps (the Counts of Savoy had only acquired Piedmont in 1091 through the dowery of the margravine Adelaide of Susa). It was the base for his expansion towards Turin in the following century. Humbert III of Savoy, Amadeus III's son and heir, was born there on 4 August 1136.
Avigliana was a significant source of revenue for the Savoy family as it stood on a popular merchant route to France and Flanders and was a source of tolls.
When there were no counts in residence, the castle of Avigliana was the permanent seat of a castellan (appointed by the count) who administered the surrounding territory on behalf of his master, who in turn was a feudal lord of the Holy Roman Emperor.
Text adapted from “Avigliana Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Avigliana Castle ranks #6,386 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #452 of the 560 mapped in Italy. Founded 924, it is older than 94% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 193 atlas entries founded in the 10th century. 10 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Turin, 22 km away. See how Italy compares in the castle statistics.
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