Introd Castle
Resorts: Introd
Summer 2024
guided tours every hour
- 1 - 18 July 2.30pm - 6.30pm every day
- 19 July - 25 August 10am - 1pm / 2.30pm - 6.30pm every day
- 26 August - 8 September 2.30pm - 6.30pm every day
- 14-15 / 21-22 September 2.30pm - 6.30pm Saturday and Sunday
guided night tours Au Clair de la Lune die
- 10, 17, 24 and 31 of July 9.30pm - 10.30pm reservation required
- 7, 14, 21 and 28 of August 9.30pm - 10.30pm reservation required
Possibility of extraordinary openings, on reservation, for groups of over 15 people and with an additional price of 3 € on the access ticket.
Opening times are subject to variations: we advice to verify them on the web site reported in the “Contact” area.
Reduced entrance-fee: students aged up to 25 years (from 19 to 25 years with document certifying the student’s condition), persons accompanying disabled visitors, groups led by tour or nature guides.
Castle tower: surcharge of 2.00 €
Free entry: children aged up to 6 years, disabled visitors, people living in the municipalities of Fondation Grand Paradis (Aymavilles, Cogne, Introd, Rhêmes-Saint-Georges, Rhêmes-Notre-Dame, Valsavarenche, Villeneuve), tour or nature guides and Abbonamento Musei owners.
Reductions: for owners of “Carta Amico di Cogne”, Touring Club Italiano members and their families, persons accompanying Touring Club Junior’s members and owners of the access ticket to Parc Animalier d’Introd, Bard Fortress, M.A.V.
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.
To participate in the "Au clair de la lune" event, simply purchase the Fondation Gran Paradis Pass for € 8.00
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 15 people per visit tour.
Reservation adviced.
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