The Masimo Castle (Castello di Masino), built in the 11th century and the residence of the Valperga family for almost ten centuries, dominates the town of Caravino and the plains of Ivrea from on high. Once a fortress built on a rock with four angular towers and surrounded by a ravine, today, the structure is “L-shaped” and characterized by a large round tower decorated with the genealogical tree of its founding family. The second cylindrical tower – smaller and shorter – is placed at a diagonal from the main tower, while the remaining two towers have been lowered and readapted. In one of these, the military chapel with the remains of Re Arduino is located. Inside the castle, there are many frescoed halls –the dance hall, the red room, the arms hall, the billiards room, the atlas room, and the ambassador’s hall – which have welcomed such illustrious guests as San Carlo Borromeo, Vittorio Alfieri, Massimo d’Azeglio, Gioacchino Rossini, and Silvio Pellico – even if the most illustrious was, without a doubt, Cristina di Francia better known as Madama Reale. The castle, the property of FAI (Italian Environmental Fund) since 1987, is called the “balcony of Canavese” and is surrounded by an English style park and a small Italian style garden. Inside the park, oftentimes the setting for floral exhibits, there is a small Neo-Gothic temple as well as a carriage house with a rich collection of 18th and 19th century carriages.
