Castello dei Principi d’Acaja

The Castle of Fossano, built as a defensive structure by Philip I of Acaja between 1324 and 1332, was later transformed by the Savoy into a stately residence. In the 16th century it hosted Bona of Savoy, Duchess of Milan, and in the 1940s, Madame Christine of France. At the end of the 17th century it changed its use: prison for the Waldensians between 1686 and 1687, then barracks and prison. The 16th-century loggias today house the city library, with over 150,000 volumes and a historical collection - consisting of old books, collections and documents - of around 10,000 texts.
In the Sala delle Grottesche, the vault frescoes, painted around 1585 at the behest of Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy, are one of the most important examples of late Mannerist painting in Piedmont. The multimedia tour, through the use of immersive technologies, engages visitors in an ideal conversation with the Flemish painter Jan Kraeck, Italianised Giovanni Caracca.
The inner courtyard and the hall on the ground floor host cultural activities, conferences, exhibitions and concerts.
The view of Monviso and the entire Alpine arc from the panoramic tower is unparalleled, where a special multimedia installation offers visitors the opportunity to take a journey of discovery of the Cuneo area.
Specifically, on the panoramic tower of the manor house, in an immersive cinema room, a strongly emotional, cinematic documentary video is projected on the presence of man in Lower Piedmont from the Neolithic to the Second World War. In addition, special monitors are active on the four sides of the tower, which superimposed on the large windows offer an augmented reality experience, adding tourist information to the spectacular panorama visible from that position.