Château de Ville

Château de Ville, built in the early 13th century by Count Thomas I of Savoia, is one of the oldest castles in Val d'Ayas, Italy. Initially donated by Count Thomas I of Savoia to Viscount Bosone II of Aosta, Bosone II and his descendants started using 'di Challant' in their title to indicate their lordship over Villa-Challand.

The castle was initially expanded by Bosone II's family until it passed to Gotofredo I, a nephew of Bosone, according to a document from 1241. Ebalo I of Challant, also known as Ebalo Magno, further restructured and expanded the castle. He increased the perimeter walls by 30 meters each, added a chapel and another building in the new east zone, and left some fresco fragments discovered in 1885.

The castle controlled a strategic position for communication with the Vallese via Val d'Ayas, and could communicate visually with the castles of Verrès and Graines. However, the castle entered a period of decline after Caterina of Challant's defeat in 1430 and was likely used as a source of building materials. Today, only the ruins remain, not accessible due to the risk of collapse. The ruins include part of the perimeter walls, some windows and gun ports, the remains of the water cistern, and some fresco fragments.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons