Overview
Of the castles built by the historic Challant dynasty along the Ayas Valley, this is the most impressive and perhaps the most significant. The ruins near Arcesaz can be reached by taking a secondary road that branches off from the regional highway in the valley and then climbing a short, final path through a cherry forest.
Once you reach the top of the hill, it is impossible not to take a picture of the tower, which is complete since the renovations carried out at the end of the 19th century under the direction of a leading restorer, the architectAlfredo d'Andrade. D'Andrade was a very active restorer, especially in Piedmont (the Borgo Medievale in Turin is essentially his work) and Liguria. Architecturally, Graines belongs to the oldest type of Valdostan fortifications, with a simple and clear layout: inside the fortified wall around the tower, all that remains are the walls, the partly decorated apse, the facade and the bell tower of a chapel dedicated to St Martin.
Never involved in major military operations, Graines was above all the tangible sign of administrative power over the territory. From the mid 18th century onwards, it had been gradually abandoned.
