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Bard Fort is a Savoyard fortress which stands on a strategic rocky spur at the entrance to Aosta Valley and is also one of the best examples of an early XIX century front-line fortress. It covers some 5.342 square yards and features 283 rooms. This defensive structure is about 348-ft high, with an 806-step network of staircases and a 2.435-square yard internal courtyard. Its roof covers an area of about 10.763 square yards, while the internal corridors stretch on a total 1.548 square yards. The fort has 385 doors, 323 windows, and 296 loopholes.
This fortress was built between 1830 and 1838 on the ruins of a previous castle, destroyed in 1800 by Napoleon’s troops. The complex is composed of several independent buildings, capable of guaranteeing mutual defence and protection.

Bard Fort used to have some powerful artillery, could accommodate up to 416 soldiers and could withstand a 3-month siege. At the end of the XIX century, the fort started losing its military importance and was first later turned into a military prison and then an ammunition depot.

The fort has been a property of the Autonomous Region of Valle d’Aosta since 1990 and is currently being thoroughly restored and enhanced. It was opened to the public on January 15, 2006.

More than 4.300 square yards of the fortress are now dedicated to permanent exhibitions covering the local mountain heritage and contemporary paintings and works of art.

This impressive stronghold is served by the historical driveway, and by several panoramic lifts in the village at the foot of the rocky spur – they stop at each floor of the fort.

Today, the fort is home to the important Museum of the Alps, which features a wealth of multimedia information panels about the geological, natural, geographical, historical, and anthropological features of the Italian Alps; visitors can thus discover the alpine culture and its heritage while being entertained and thoroughly walked along some exciting learning paths.

Educational laboratory activities are regularly organized, to trigger and boost students’ interest in the mountains, the nature and the traditions of the Alps.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)