FAI Spring Days — Montalto Dora Castle

A thousand-year-old castle in the heart of the Canavese

The FAI Spring Days in Montalto Dora (Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont) offer one of the rarest opportunities to cross the threshold of the Montalto Dora Castle, one of the most evocative fortified residences in the Canavese area. Perched at 405 metres on Monte Crovero and reflected in the waters of Lake Pistono, within the Ivrea morainic amphitheatre, the manor has dominated the plains and the ancient route to the Aosta Valley for nearly a thousand years.

The castle appears in documents as early as 1141 under the name castrum montisalti: originally built as a defensive structure with a central tower and double curtain walls, it controlled access to the valley and the path of the Via Francigena. Today, it is private property and can only be visited on special occasions, making its opening during the FAI Spring Days a highly anticipated event for enthusiasts and curious visitors alike.

A cinematic landmark

The Montalto Dora Castle is also well-known as a film set: it has hosted RAI television productions and was chosen by Dario Argento for the film Dracula 3D. Its towers, patrol walkways, and interiors evoke fairy-tale and gothic atmospheres, in a constant dialogue with the landscape of the morainic lakes below.

The FAI Spring Days

The FAI Spring Days represent the largest event dedicated to Italy's cultural and landscape heritage, organised by the FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano (National Trust for Italy). For an entire weekend, hundreds of sites that are usually closed or little-known open their doors across Italy, accompanied by tours led by Apprendisti Ciceroni—local students trained to share the history of these monuments with visitors.

In Montalto Dora, the event is managed by the FAI Delegation of Ivrea and Canavese together with the FAI Youth Group, in collaboration with the local municipal administration. The opening of the castle is part of a broader itinerary in the Canavese region that, on the same days, also includes openings in Borgofranco d'Ivrea, Baio Dora, Settimo Vittone, and Tavagnasco.

How to visit

The castle is accessible only on foot: the meeting point is in the square adjacent to the Church of Sant'Eusebio Vescovo (via Ivrea 2). From there, a path of approximately 2 km begins, crossing the historic centre and climbing towards the manor, with an elevation gain of about 120 metres and over 30 minutes of walking on a mix of paved, cobblestone, and dirt roads. We recommend wearing hiking shoes, bringing water, and wearing appropriate clothing. Due to the nature of the path, the visit is not suitable for pushchairs, wheelchairs, or those with mobility issues; photography inside the interiors is strictly prohibited.