Archaeology of a thousand-year-old fortification.
The Motto Castle, mentioned in sources as Castrum Gravallone, is located on the hill of the same name that dominates the historic centre of Gravellona Toce near the Strona river.
The complex comprises several ruined structures, including two towers, elements of city walls, a palace or donjon and other buildings, including a basement cistern, extending over two adjacent hills.
The castle is mentioned for the first time in a document from 1028 and again in a parchment in 1190 and is owned by the family of the Counts da Castello.
Since 2016, the University of Turin has conducted excavation campaigns there that have documented how the fortification was voluntarily demolished between the end of the 13th and 14th centuries, probably as a result of a war event, as evidenced by the discovery of a large number of arrow and crossbow tips.
The castle, characterised in some elements by thick walls, is built on the traces of older structures dating from the 11th and 12th centuries. The excavations also confirmed the relevant importance of the site, located in a strategic position, controlling a large territory between Lake Orta, Lake Maggiore and the Ossola.
The castle ruins can be reached by a short walk from Via Vittorio Emanuele - Via Valguerra - Via al Motto (recommended car park Piazza della Chiesa)
Credits @ Archivio Progetto Sisinet/Provincia del VCO - Foto di Giancarlo Parazzoli/Elena Poletti
