Walking Through History: Discovering Italy's Medieval Castles and More
Hiking is a popular recreational activity that involves walking or trekking through natural landscapes, often on trails or designated paths. I like to visit interesting historical places like castles.
Discovering Italy by walking has become a national sport in the country. It is said that more than 39% of vacationers prefer walking, reaching not only the usual tourist attractions on foot, but also the most distant refuges, hotels, and restaurants.
Last year, I went for a walk in a place situated very far from the “normal” streets. I don't know how my poor car made out of that adventure alive because the road was completely bumpy. You could only get through with a tank, in my opinion.
Tourist Places to Visit near Chardonney
There were few parking options on-site, but almost all of them were occupied just by early morning. I passed near a building that was a hotel and a restaurant. In the afternoon, on my way back, I thought about eating there, but it was all booked and they didn't accept me. It was full, and those people—by the way, many of them were well-dressed, not hikers, (!) and there were even those with walking problems—came up till there for lunch! I swear, I was really… mmm… surprised.
While walking, you meet a lot of people. In the mountains, it seems to me, you find more people than in the city, especially if the weather is good and it's a weekend. I think it’s because hiking promotes mental well-being by reducing stress, offering a chance to escape the routines of everyday life, enhancing mood, and providing a sense of tranquility and mindfulness.
This year I decided to explore the castles.
Visit the Castle of Graines in Italy
There are really MANY castles where I can get in 1–3 hours by car. This is convenient. Because not all the places you want to visit can be reached by train or on foot. Sometimes they are far away, and I can't walk a long way and then return to the train station. One of these places is the Castle of Graines.
This castle is linked to the name of Catherine de Challant, the same lady I have already written about several times. On some sites, it was written that this very castle was her final home (this is why I wanted to visit it). But it is not true. This castle was one of her properties, but Madam did not live there because the castle was not equipped for a comfortable life.
If you have hiking apps with paths, you can see that the castle can be reached on foot from Arcesaz on the SR 45 road to Brusson. That's what I wanted to do. But the locals told me that the path is not clean. So, I drove up to the castle by car. There, remains a short and simple track, even for children, of just a few meters. Walking shoes are enough.
How To Organize Your Vacations Near Brusson
If you like exploring medieval fortifications—this is a place not to be overlooked. The castle is one of the few “primitive castles” (from the 11th century) that still exists. This means that it had only essential parts: composed of a donjon, a church and defensive walls. There were homes built later inside, but very little remains of those.
The church on the other hand is truly beautiful. The roof of the apse is a work of art. There are other examples of this type of construction around, but there aren't many. And I haven't seen other churches made like this yet. Very curious is that the floor is the rock itself.
This castle was probably never besieged. Even though the guards garrisoned it until the 17th century. The castle oven is still perfectly preserved today. It is much smaller than that of the castle of Introd because it served a few people, perhaps even inhabitants of Arcesaz, but no less interesting.
I must say that in the area there are other very fascinating places such as the mines. In Brusson there is a gold mine open to the public during summer. Then, not far from this castle, there is the Villa Castle with the lake nearby. A very easy and really beautiful walk (you need a car to get there). I'll tell it another time.
Valle d'Aosta official tourism website about the Castle of Graines