The castle is first mentioned in 1019 when Otto William, Count of Burgundy, donated half of Chivasso ‘cum castello Castaneo ultra Padum’ to the monks of Fruttuaria Abbey, together with the surrounding territories.
In 1227, the castle was granted as an investiture to the Marquises of Monferrato and, in 1630, it passed to the Savoy family.
In 1740, following invasions by the French army, the villa was rebuilt on the ruins of the ancient fortress by the Trabucco counts, based on designs by the architect Giuseppe Nicolis di Robilant. The rebuilding work was completed in 1835 by Ernesto Melano, architect to the royal court.
In 1859, Count Cesare Trabucco sold the villa to lawyer Cavalier Vincenzo Ceriana, a banker and silk merchant. The Ceriana family promoted various embellishments. Arturo Ceriana enriched the building with a gallery decorated in Renaissance style, embellished with marble and carved stone. Interior decoration work was carried out by prominent artists such as Francesco Gonin and Costantino Sereno.
From this period onwards, the castle began to be called Villa Ceriana.
In 1952, the villa was purchased by engineer, entrepreneur and composer Alberto Bruni Tedeschi, son of the founder of C.E.A.T. and father of Carla, model and singer, wife of former French President Sarkozy, and Valeria, actress and director.
It is now owned by the Italian Red Cross.
The tour takes place in the large park surrounding the villa.
On special occasions, some of the interior spaces of the villa are accessible.
The villa has a surface area of 1,500 square metres and consists of 40 rooms. Outside, it is surrounded by a 144-hectare park with centuries-old trees, vegetable gardens, orchards, large terraces planted with flowers, old greenhouses, farmhouses and a helicopter landing pad.
The park, created in just a few years starting in 1847, is the work of Marcellino Roda, a gardener and landscape architect who worked with his brother Giuseppe in Racconigi.