Castelli e fortezze

Marvão, Portugal

Hidden Europe

Marvão, the Granite Fortress That Touches the Clouds of the Alentejo

Marvão is a Portuguese fortress-borgo perched at 860 metres in the eastern Alentejo, with medieval walls and panoramas stretching all the way into Spain.

Jul 5, 2026

♥ ⚖

Issogne, Aosta Valley, Italy

Castles, palaces and monuments

Issogne: The Renaissance Castle with the Pomegranate Fountain

Issogne hides a Renaissance courtyard with a wrought-iron pomegranate fountain and frescoes vividly depicting daily life in fifteenth-century Aosta Valley.

Jul 5, 2026

♥ ⚖

Morella, Spain

Hidden Europe

Morella, the Walled Citadel of the Maestrazgo That Commands Valencian Spain

Morella is a spectacular walled medieval citadel in the heart of the Maestrazgo, with an impregnable castle, dinosaur fossils, and a gastronomy worth seeking out.

Jul 5, 2026

♥ ⚖

Fénis, Aosta Valley, Italy

Castles, palaces and monuments

Fénis: The Fairytale Castle of the Aosta Valley

Crenellated towers, chivalric frescoes and a storybook courtyard: the castle of Fénis is the most dramatic medieval jewel in the Aosta Valley.

Jul 5, 2026

♥ ⚖

Zavattarello, Lombardy, Italy

Italian villages

Zavattarello: The Dal Verme Castle and the Silences of the Oltrepò Hills

Zavattarello in Oltrepò Pavese: the imposing Dal Verme castle lords over vine-covered hills and chestnut woods, far from everything — perfect for a slow weekend.

Jul 5, 2026

♥ ⚖

Villefranche-de-Conflent, France

Hidden Europe

Villefranche-de-Conflent: la fortezza Vauban tra i Pirenei

Una cittadella UNESCO firmata Vauban incastrata tra le vette catalane: vie in marmo rosa, bastioni percorribili e un borgo medievale ancora abitato.

Jul 5, 2026

♥ ⚖

Najac, France

Hidden Europe

Najac, the Ridge-Top Fortress That Commands the Aveyron Gorges

Najac stretches along a rocky ridge above the Aveyron gorges: a royal fortress, stone houses and a silence that feels truly medieval.

Jul 5, 2026

♥ ⚖

Lucera, Puglia, Italy

Archaeological sites

Lucera: Europe's Largest Swabian Fortress and a Forgotten Roman Amphitheatre

Lucera hides the vastest Swabian-Angevin fortress in Europe and an intact Roman amphitheatre. A journey into the unknown heart of Daunia.

Jul 5, 2026

♥ ⚖

Altamura, Puglia, Italy

Italian villages

Altamura: Where Bread Has the Dignity of a Monument and the Cathedral Bears the Seal of Frederick II

Altamura, city of DOP bread and a Frederician cathedral: a journey into the heart of the Murgia through flavours, history and prehistoric discoveries.

Jul 5, 2026

♥ ⚖