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Castello della Manta today

Italy · Restored

Castello della Manta

Castello della Manta is a medieval castle near Saluzzo in Piedmont, Italy, later transformed into a noble residence by the Saluzzo della Manta family. The interior includes the early-15th-century Baronial Hall with a celebrated fresco cycle and a later Mannerist Sala delle Grottesche; the complex also includes a church with an apsidal fresco cycle.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

First raised

1420

Its prime

1560

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1560

What Castello della Manta looked like in its prime.

Low, rectangular stone residence of pale, roughly coursed masonry with a broad two-storey façade pierced by three tall rectangular windows and a small balustraded balcony; a central arched ground-floor doorway is partly enveloped by dense climbing ivy. Red terracotta hip roofs step up behind the façade and reveal a cylindrical stone tower rising above the roofs, its upper stage pierced by paired arched openings and a decorative zigzag masonry band. The building faces a gravel forecourt sheltered by large evergreen trees.

Its story

The story of Castello della Manta.

The original building at Manta, near Saluzzo in Piedmont, dates from the 12th century; it was later enlarged and transformed into a noble residence by the Saluzzo della Manta family, margraves of Saluzzo.

Its Baronial Hall holds a rare masterpiece of Late Gothic painting in northern Italy: a fresco cycle completed soon after 1420, attributed to the anonymous Master of Castello della Manta, portraying the Nine Worthies and their Nine Female Heroines in precious contemporary dress, the artist may have modelled the figures on members of the house of the margraves of Saluzzo. Alongside them is the Fountain of Youth, a scene inspired by Le Chevalier Errant, the poem of Marquess Thomas III of Saluzzo.

Around 1560 Count Michele Antonio della Manta commissioned the Sala delle Grottesche, decorated in the Mannerist style with a finely painted ceiling of stuccoes, grotesques and ancient ruins. Annexed to the castle is a church whose apse carries frescoes on the life of Christ from the same period as the Baronial Hall.

Step inside

5 places to explore in 1560.

The record describes 5 distinct spots at Castello della Manta, including 4 interiors: baronial hall (salone baronale), frescoed walls, sala delle grottesche, painted stucco ceiling, church apse with christ-cycle frescoes and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Main exterior approach and forecourtBaronial Hall (Salone Baronale), frescoed wallsSala delle Grottesche, painted stucco ceilingChurch apse with Christ-cycle frescoesUpper chamber of the cylindrical tower

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Castle Siege

Play Castle Siege at Castello della Manta.

A strategy game played on Castello della Manta’s real ground plan: the same surveyed walls shown in the archive below. Post your finite garrison on the battlements between assaults, then hold out as rams, siege towers, trebuchets and sappers arrive in ever-worse waves.

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Whose castle

Clans who held Castello della Manta.

The families that held Castello della Manta for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Saluzzo della Manta

    Enlarged and transformed into a noble residence by the Saluzzo della Manta family, margraves of Saluzzo, from the medieval period into the 16th century.

From the archive

Castello della Manta on paper: the measured plan and period views.

The survey plan and photographs below are the ground truth this page's reconstructions are checked against, drawn and photographed while the castle was still a working garrison. Every image is public-domain or openly licensed, with its source named.

Castello della Manta - Sala degli Spagnoli, Castello della Manta

Castello della Manta - Sala degli Spagnoli

· Turin Gallery for Modern and Contemporary Art (via Europeana)

CC BY

Castello della Manta - Sala degli Spagnoli (particolare degli affreschi), Castello della Manta

Castello della Manta - Sala degli Spagnoli (particolare degli affreschi)

· Turin Gallery for Modern and Contemporary Art (via Europeana)

CC BY

Questions about Castello della Manta

What is the history of Castello della Manta?

Castello della Manta began as a medieval building in the 12th century and was later enlarged and transformed into a noble residence by the Saluzzo della Manta family, margraves of Saluzzo. Its present character began to take shape in the early 15th century. After this branch of the family died out at the end of the 18th century, the castle was abandoned and fell into ruin before restoration began in 1985.

What is inside Castello della Manta?

Inside Castello della Manta are the Baronial Hall, with frescoes of the Nine Worthies, their Nine Female Heroines and the Fountain of Youth, and the Mannerist Sala delle Grottesche. The latter has a finely painted ceiling with stuccoes, grotesques and ancient ruins. The adjoining church has an apse with frescoes about the life of Christ, while the castle also contains a painted Madonna of the Milk and a funerary chapel with Mannerist decoration.

Why was Castello della Manta built, and what was it used for?

Castello della Manta was first a medieval structure and was later converted into a noble residence by the Saluzzo della Manta family. Its purpose therefore changed from its original medieval use to serving as a residence for the margraves of Saluzzo. Around 1560, Count Michele Antonio della Manta commissioned the Sala delle Grottesche as part of a representative apartment.

Where is Castello della Manta?

Castello della Manta is near Saluzzo in Piedmont, in the Province of Cuneo in northern Italy. It is located at Manta, on the hills around the town. Saluzzo is the nearest recognised city named in the supplied material.

When was Castello della Manta built?

Castello della Manta dates from the 12th century in its original form, although the site record gives 1420 for the first raised building. The surviving complex was formed through later additions, and it began to acquire its present appearance in the early 15th century. Its Baronial Hall fresco cycle was completed soon after 1420.

Which family or clan held Castello della Manta?

The Saluzzo della Manta family held Castello della Manta and enlarged it into a noble residence. They were margraves of Saluzzo, and their connection with the castle continued from the medieval period into the 16th century.

What did Castello della Manta look like in its prime?

Castello della Manta is a low, rectangular stone residence with pale, roughly coursed masonry and a broad two-storey façade. Three tall rectangular windows, a small balustraded balcony and a central arched doorway face the forecourt, while red terracotta hip roofs step up around a cylindrical tower. The tower has paired arched openings and a decorative zigzag masonry band.

Is Castello della Manta still standing, or is it a ruin?

Castello della Manta is still standing and is restored rather than a ruin. It was abandoned and fell into ruin after the Saluzzo della Manta branch became extinct at the end of the 18th century. Recovery and restoration works began in 1985 and returned the complex to its original condition.

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