The Castle of Fossano, built as a defensive structure by Philip I of Acaja between 1324 and 1332. With the extinction of the Acaja family, the castle of Fossano passed to the Savoys and was transformed by Duke Amedeo d’Aosta into an elegant residence, destined to house the great court and the ducal government. In the sixteenth century, however, the castle hosted Bona di Savoia, Duchess of Milan, and in the forties of the following century, Madama Cristina of France. At the end of the seventeenth century, however, it changed use, becoming a prison for the Waldensians between 1686 and 1687, and then barracks and prison.
The sixteenth-century loggias now house the town library, with over 150,000 volumes and a historical collection of antique books, collections and documents. The inner courtyard and the hall on the ground floor host cultural activities, conferences, exhibitions and concerts.
