Inaugurated in 1904, Savoy Castle is located in Gressoney-Saint-Jean, at the foot of colle della Ranzola in the area known as “Belvedere”.
Surrounded by the vegetation of the encircling park, the castle was built in honour of queen Margherita and is reminiscent of a medieval manor with its central structure and five cusp-tipped turrets. The exteriors are covered in grey stone from the Chiappey quarries in Gressoney, Gaby and Vert (Donnas).
The castle has three floors. The ground floor opens onto a vast atrium with columns and a movable altar used by the queen and leads to the elegantly decorated dining room with neoGothic wood furnishing. A semi-circular veranda with a view of the valley leads to a billiard room with the original table and sitting rooms.
An elegant oak staircase carved with griffins and eagles leads to the royal apartments on the piano nobile: the queen’s eclectically decorated rooms and those of king Umberto I and his court, with an exhibition of vintage photographs. The basement areas house the cellars, while the kitchens were located in a separate building connected by an underground passage.
The castle conserves its original coffered ceilings, wooden panelling and medieval-inspired furnishings, created by the carver Michele Dellera from Turin, and linen and silk wall coverings.
The park around the manor hosts a botanical garden, created in 1990, whose rocky flowerbeds are filled with plants that originate in the Alps.
Fondazione Film Commission Valle d'Aoste
Via Croce di Città 18 — 11100 Aosta
Phone: +39 0165 261790
Fax: +39 0165 261790
Email: amministrazione@filmcommission.vda.it
