The fort, which is at the entrance to the Aosta Valley, is located in a narrow gorge above the Dora Baltea river.

The castle was under the control of the powerful local lords of Bard until the middle of the 13th century when ownership passed to the House of Savoy.

They held the pass for two weeks, completely ruining Napoleon Bonaparte's plan of making a surprise attack on the Po Valley and Turin.

It was not until 1830 that Charles Albert of Savoy, fearing new attacks from the French, ordered that the fort be rebuilt.

Fort Bard and its town were used as the fictional Eastern European country of Sokovia in the 2015 film Avengers: Age of Ultron directed by Joss Whedon.