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Sarre Castle

The Savoy kings’ hunting lodge near Aosta, with a hall of ibex and chamois trophies.

  • Sarre
  • Castle
Plan your visit
Where
Sarre
Best for
Savoy royal hunting lodge
Allow
1 hour
Tickets
From €8
Checked January 2025

Sarre Castle looks medieval, with a tall crenellated central tower and mullioned windows, but its story is royal. Documented from the thirteenth century and rebuilt in 1708, it was bought in 1869 by Victor Emmanuel II, who made it the base for his hunts in the nearby Gran Paradiso reserve, raising the tower and adding stables.

His successor Umberto I added the hall of horns, its walls covered with ibex and chamois trophies. The Italian state bought the castle in 1972, and the Aosta Valley Region opened it as a museum in 1989. Furniture, paintings and personal objects show how the Savoy hunting parties lived.

Sources and citations (1)
  1. LoveVDASarre Royal CastlePage heading Sarre Royal Castle; Resort field Sarre; Contact address Loc. Lalex, 11010 SARRERead source

Five things worth finding

If you see nothing else, see these.

  1. The hall of hornsUmberto I

    Walls covered with ibex and chamois horns, the most striking room in the castle.On the main floor, in the main hall and gallery

  2. The king's chambers

    The rooms where Umberto I spent his hunting stays, with furnishings brought from royal palaces in Rome, Monza and Turin.Inside the castle

  3. The queen's prayer rooms

    A quiet, private side of a royal hunting lodge.Inside the castle

  4. The central towerRaised by Victor Emmanuel II

    A tall crenellated tower with mullioned windows that gives the castle its medieval look.Center of the castle

  5. The stablesVictor Emmanuel II

    A reminder that this was above all a working base for royal hunts.Beside the castle

Plan your visit

Everything you need before you go.

Tickets
From €8
Booking
No booking needed
Time needed
1 hour
Best time
Mid-morning, before or after a day in the Aosta valleys
Getting there
Just west of Aosta: leave the highway at Aosta West and follow the signs to Sarre. Free parking near the entrance for cars; buses stop a short walk from the castle.
Accessibility
Reported as accessible to wheelchair users.

Admission includes a guided visit; groups of up to 25 enter about every half hour. Reduced €6 for groups of 25 or more paying visitors. Free for young people up to 25 and visitors with disabilities. Last updated January 2025. Prices change, so check the official site before you go.

Ask your guide about the ibex: the royal hunting reserve here later became the Gran Paradiso National Park, so the trophies on the wall explain why the species survived.

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Good to know

How long should you spend at Sarre Castle?

About an hour. The visit is a guided walk through the rooms in small groups, so the pace is set for you.

Do you need to book Sarre Castle?

It is strongly advisable. Entry is accompanied and groups are small, so book ahead, especially in high season.

Is Sarre Castle worth visiting?

Yes, for the hall of horns and the sense of how the Savoy kings used the Aosta Valley. It looks medieval but its story is royal.

More to see nearby

Same city first, then the nearest across the region.

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