Castellengo castle stands on one of the first hills at the edge of the Biella plain, on the right bank of the Cervo. Its origins go back to the tenth century, when Alberico di Monterone built it; in 1014 the property was confiscated from him for having supported Arduin of Ivrea.
What to see
From the time it was a fortress, the layout and the position remain; the rest tells of its conversion into a lordly residence, begun at the end of the seventeenth century and carried on through the eighteenth along French models. To the right of the sundial you can still see the arms of the Frichignono, the family that in 1630 received the title of count from Carlo Emanuele I and that died out in 1883.
Visiting
The castle is privately owned and since 1990 has been undergoing a conservation restoration that is still going on; the halls host meetings, ceremonies and exhibitions. It stands in the hamlet of Castellengo, at the edge of the Baragge, and it is worth checking opening arrangements in advance.
Our editors' tip
The story to keep in mind is that of the night between 4 and 5 May 1406, when the mercenary captain Bando of Florence seized the castle: to get it back, Amadeus VIII of Savoy had to besiege it until February 1409.