Forte di Bard, Valle d'Aosta, Italy

5JenniferJennJenn 5:00 PM Nov 10, 2014

Seeking loyal subjects and soldiers
In a somewhat out of the way destination, positioned majestically on a high rocky spur at the entrance into the Valle d'Aosta (78 km from Torino and mid way point on the A5 motorway between Milano and Geneva). We had seen the intriguing forte off in the distance on a number of our Switzerland journeys and decided to spend the time and take a look one Sunday in September. We parked about 1 km away for free and walked up to the attraction but the website notes that there is a parking station close by as well as the following information: From the web site (http://www.fortedibard.it/en/informations/how-to-reach-us) The Fortress of Bard is accessible by car taking the Valle d'Aosta's state road (SS. 26), or by motorway (A5) with exit points at Pont-Saint-Martin to the south and Verrès to the north (6 km and 9 km respectively from Bard).There is a multistorey car park at the foot of the fortress (hourly rate 3,00 € - night rate 1,50 €), the Lieron car park and the San Giovanni car park (free of charge) along the SS. 26 approximately 200 m from the fortress, and the Viadotto car park (free of charge) approximately 600 m from the fortress with a free shuttle bus service to and from the fortress on Sundays and public holidays. The nearest train stations (along the Turin-Aosta route) are Pont-Saint-Martin and Verres. It was a wonderful afternoon exploring a medieval castle and forte and was very well organised and run. It was clean and new and the operation was efficient. There was a minimal fee of $8 Euros to view the exhibition in the Museum at the time which was a selection of Picasso's works otherwise you could just walk around and look at the fantastic scenery from various vantage points while pretending that you ruled as Royalty! or a significant Military ruler. At the furthest point of access there was a bar with meals and ample toilet facilities to sustain your wandering activities whether you are the occasional tourist or a more regimented historical buff. This is in addition to the working hotel at the top level. This would be an excellent day out for families with children or teenagers, and or visitors and friend groups. Please see the pictures for opening times (closed Mondays only) as well as the web-site that is mentioned above and is in both English or Italian. At the Forte the shops on the second level, the forte reception, the ticket counters all spoke at least English and Italian with German and French depending on the individual serving. Heralding from the Bronze Age, the forte has been mainly used for miltary purposes since the 6th century, many french assaults, and during the spanish wars it is said to have been surrendered to Napoleon. There is a lot of fun to be had exploring and viewing the scenes from the vantage points or just having a quicker look at a major historical icon. We enjoyed immensley and hope that you do to!

5MaDeVa71 5:00 PM Apr 10, 2015

Well organized
We went to visit the Forte di Bard with our children, 7 & 9 years old. The Forte is located in a very small village with a single road crossing it, so the parking space are limited. However they made 3 parking areas for the visitors: 1 is a multi level parking just down the Forte, while the other two are a couple of km before and after the Forte. the one down the Forte was full, so we went to park on one of the other, however there was a free shuttle bus (7 or 9 seats) going forth and back from the two parking to the Forte, so there was no problem at all. We visited the Forte during Easter and it was FULL! So I think that during the weekends from May to September there will be probably much more visitors, so parking could be a problem. The access to the Forte is through 4 glass elevators, so you can enjoy the panorama. The ticket counter is on the top, so you need to go up there to buy the tickets for the various exhibitions. You can also just visit the Forte for free. If you have children I suggest to do the "Alpi per Ragazzi", which is a virtual visit of the Alpi during which the children can learn a lot.