The Castle of Montestrutto towers above the village of Montestrutto, in the Commune of Settimo Vittone, Piedmont, Italy. It lies on the east bank of the Dora Baltea river and straddles an ancient Roman road that became a part of the Via Francigena, a medieval pilgrimage route from Canterbury to Rome. Indeed, the original Roman name for the village, "Mons obstructus," signifies the fact it partially blocks access to the Valle d'Aosta and the (rest of the) Alps.