Introd Castle
Resorts: Introd
Summer 2024
Au Clair de la Lune night tours
- every Wednesday, from 10 July to 28 August: 9pm - 10pm reservations required
Reservations are possible by 12:00 on the day of the visit
Guided tours every hour:
- every Wednesday from 10 July to 28 August: from 10am to 1pm and from 2.30pm to 6.30pm
In the last round of the visit (5.30pm) is included in the cost of the ticket also the visit to the dairy of Pian d'Introd
Full price: € 4,00
Reduced: € 2,00 - students up to 25 years old, guides of disabled people, groups accompanied by a guide
Free of charge: children up to the age of 6, people with disabilities, resident in the member municipalities of Fondation Grand Paradis (Aymavilles, Cogne, Introd, Rhêmes-Saint-George, Rhêmes-Notre-Dame, Valsavarenche, Villeneuve), tourist guide and hiking guide.
Castle Tower: + € 2,00 (additional visit to the castle)
The visit is included in the Fondation Grand Paradis joint ticket (full price € 8.00, reduced entrance-fee € 4.00), valid for a year from the date of issue for visiting the sites run by the Fondation Grand Paradis.
Night tours "Au clair de la lune": € 8,00 (Pass Fondation Gran Paradis)
The apartments of the castle are not accesible to people with disabilities, who have nevertheless the possibility of visiting the adjacent park.
Entry allowed to a maximum of 25 people per visit tour.
Reservation adviced.
Dogs are not allowed.
Book your visit to the castle here.
The castle
Introd castle stands on a promontory protected by the harsh gorges of the Savara and the Dora di Rhêmes (in fact the name Introd derives from the term “Interaquas”, or “entre-eaux” in French, which means “between the waters”) and probably dates back to the 12th century. Like Graines castle, originally, it probably consisted of a square keep surrounded by a perimeter wall.
Around 1260 Pierre Sarriod of Introd transformed the early castle which, following the modifications of the 15th century became five-sided and almost circular in shape, setting it apart from other castles in Val d’Aosta. These transformations mark the apogee of the Sarriod family, which included the Lords of Introd and La Tour (Saint-Pierre).
The castle was heavily damaged by two fires during the second half of the 19th century and was rebuilt at the start of the 1900s by Gonella, who engaged the architect Chevalley.
Owned by the Counts Caracciolo of Brienza and rented out for free to the MunicipalIty of Introd; the Castle is managed by the Fondation Grand Paradis, which ensures it is open to visitors.
Open to the public: ground floor and castle gardens.
The “Cascina L’Ola”
The building next to the castle, today called the “Cascina L’Ola”, was formerly used by the Lords of Introd as a stable and hayshed. The most recent part of the old building is the area supported by five pillars and covered by an overhanging roof. The western wing hosts an interesting door lintel, decorated with a keel-shaped arch motif.
The granary
In the area in front of the castle is a magnificent construction, one of the rare existing examples of buildings made entirely from wood, typical of early mediaeval architecture in Valle d’Aosta: a fifteenth-century granary used to store grain and seeds. A small door, with an interesting Gothic lock featuring a richly crenellated mediaeval castle, leads to the two rooms below. Equipped with embrasures, the two rooms are now entirely buried underground.
Where to eat