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Chatillon Castle stands on the promontory overlooking the nearby town. It looks like a manor with a rectangular plan, with two protruding towers on the west side, an annexed eastern guesthouse, and a chapel. The main entrance is located on the south side. Privately owned, it is still inhabited by Claudia Passerin d’Entrèves.

Inside, it features an XVIII century hall of honour, with a remarkable art collection and a library with XV century wall paintings and some Empire-style furniture: the upholstery in the dining room represents some Napoleonic battles.

The first owners of the castle of Chatillon were the De Castiglione feudal lords. In the XIII century, the castle passed to the Udrionis family and at the end of the XIV century the Viscounts from Aosta, the forefathers of the Challant family. During the French invasions (1691 and 1704), soldiers settled in the castle seriously damaging both the main building and the park.

An earthquake in 1755 added some further damage, and only in 1769 Charles François Octave began the construction of news roofs and perimeter walls.
The last member of the Passerin d’Entrèves family was Ettore Onofrio (born in Turin in 1914), who taught history at the universities of Turin, Pisa and Milan – he was also a famous writer. The castle is now inhabited by his daughter.

The garden

The castle is surrounded by a park opened in 1996, which feature a beautiful 7.4-acre Italian garden, and 33 monumental trees, belonging to 9 different species (all fitted with information tags). Leisure walks along the park paths are the only activities allowed, while picnics are strictly forbidden.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)