Angela
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The history of medieval castles in Italy, even early medieval, is very well known in Italy. You don't need to guess.
I also think you're getting your history, i.e. historical periods confused.
Yes, the Lombards invaded Italy after the fall of the Roman Empire, preceded by the Goths. However, as recent papers have started to show, the Lombards were a pretty heterogeneous group. Moreover, they were a German speaking group, and when they abandoned it, they adopted Italian dialects, not French dialects, by and large.
https://www.eupedia.com/forum/threads/34923-Ancient-Lombard-DNA?highlight=Lombards
The Franks did extend their hegemony over big parts of Italy, which might have produced a little gene flow, but it would be minor.
As for being called "French", Piemonte's borders have changed over the centuries. Parts of still speak a French derived language. Some of your ancestors may have come from those areas, which are primarily in or near the Aosta Valley.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Provençal_language
It might be a good idea to research your particular towns of origin, particularly in Italian sources.
Y dna is another issue. It might be a sign of your direct paternal ancestor having been Lombard, or it might not. Your matches on it might give you some clues. Of course, that wouldn't make you a Lombard autosomally. That particular group is extinct.
I also think you're getting your history, i.e. historical periods confused.
Yes, the Lombards invaded Italy after the fall of the Roman Empire, preceded by the Goths. However, as recent papers have started to show, the Lombards were a pretty heterogeneous group. Moreover, they were a German speaking group, and when they abandoned it, they adopted Italian dialects, not French dialects, by and large.
https://www.eupedia.com/forum/threads/34923-Ancient-Lombard-DNA?highlight=Lombards
The Franks did extend their hegemony over big parts of Italy, which might have produced a little gene flow, but it would be minor.
As for being called "French", Piemonte's borders have changed over the centuries. Parts of still speak a French derived language. Some of your ancestors may have come from those areas, which are primarily in or near the Aosta Valley.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Provençal_language
It might be a good idea to research your particular towns of origin, particularly in Italian sources.
Y dna is another issue. It might be a sign of your direct paternal ancestor having been Lombard, or it might not. Your matches on it might give you some clues. Of course, that wouldn't make you a Lombard autosomally. That particular group is extinct.