# Exterior view [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [ARCHITECT, Italian]() - Date: 1301-1350 - Technique: Photo ## Commentary In the countryside of Italy in the Gothic period, the castles of the nobility retained their military aspect intact. The Fénis Castle in Val d'Aosta is a stronghold that conceal comfortable residential apartments in its interior. The keep has a pentagonal layout, with towers at the corners. It is surrounded by a double boundary wall with battlements and by a series of watchtowers linked by a walkway. Despite his impressive defensive structure, the castle was not built for military purposes, but to serve as a prestigious residence for the Challant family. View the <a href="\#" onClick="w=window.open \('/support/plans/zzzarchi/14c/3/2/fenis.html', 'newWin', 'scrollbars=yes,status=no,dependent=yes,screenX=0,screenY=0,width=400,height=600'\);w.opener=this;w.focus\(\);return false">plan</a> of Fénis Castle. ## Related artworks - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Apse of a basilica]() - [Arsenale Gateway]() - [Arsenale Gateway]() - [Basilica di Sant'Antonio: Chiostro del Noviziato]() - [Basilica Santi Nereo e Achilleo]() - [Ca' Foscari: Façade]() - [Chamber of the millers]() - [Chiesa dell'Incoronata: Interior of the dome]() - [Cloister gallery]() - [Detail of the façade]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()