Castello Della Manta

The Castello della Manta, located in south-west Piedmont, stands out against the landscape dominated by the peak of Monviso, one of Italy s iconic mountains. In its main hall, it contains a masterpiece of 15th-century painting in the Alpine area: the Cycle of Heroes and Heroines, by Giacomo Jaqueiro. Accompanied by an historical synthesis by Alessandro Barbero, one of Italy s leading historians, readers are invited to approach the frescoes through the lenses of the nobility of the Middle Ages. Through an extensive set of images and an agile format, the volume retraces the phases of development of the building and the profiles of the owners, the Saluzzo della Manta. Recognised as a symbolic monument of medieval civilisation in Piedmont, in 1985 the palace was donated to the FAI - Italian Environment Fund. The guide is completed by an overview of the castle s recent history, the latest restorations, the garden s extraordinary biodiversity heritage, recently included in the UNESCO Monviso MaB Biosphere Reserve.