The Challant family held Fénis Castle in the Aosta Valley from at least 1242 until 1716. In 1242 it was probably a simple keep with walls. Aymon of Challant and his son Boniface I drove the main expansion from 1320 to 1420, creating the pentagonal layout, the outer boundary wall and many towers. The article names no original architect.
The plan has corner towers, a double battlemented wall and watchtowers linked by a walkway. The inner courtyard has a semicircular stone staircase and wooden balconies. The painter Giacomo Jaquerio was commissioned for frescoes in the chapel and courtyard.
Georges-François of Challant sold the castle in 1716 to pay debts, and it declined into a rural dwelling, stable and barn. Alfredo d'Andrade bought it in 1895 and began restoration, finished in 1935. The Aosta Valley region now operates it as a museum.
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