Royal Residences in Turin

Given its royal heritage, Turin and Piedmont are studded with royal residences and castles. In Turin itself there are four: in Piazza Castello, situated in the heart of the city, there are Palazzo Madama and Palazzo Reale; along the Po River you’ll find Castello del Valentino and in the nearby Valentino Park, there is a reconstruction of a local medieval castle.

Royal Palace of Venaria

Then in the suburbs of Turin, there is la Venaria Reale or the Royal Palace of Venaria and la Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi or  the Stupinigi Royal Hunting Lodge. Each of these royal residences deserves a visit as they represent the aristocratic Turin past and will also give you a sense of today’s Turin sense of elegance.

Royal Residences in Turin

Palazzo Reale

Starting with Palazzo Reale or the Royal Palace, this building doesn’t look like the stereotypical castle with dungeons, but it was indeed the first of the royal residences in Piedmont and the political center for at least 3 centuries. Duke Emmanuel Philibert I of Savoy chose it as his residence when he moved the Savoy capital from Chambery, France, to Turin.

As this building had been the bishop’s residence, the duke hired an architect to redesign it in order to host him and his court. In the meantime, he lived in the nearby Palazzo Madama. This was back between 1500 and 1600, when different artists were hired to decorate the palace façade, which we see today, with masks representing the Savoy royal dynasty.

Over the centuries different famous architects designed and redesigned the palace, the piazza and even the Duomo hosting the Holy Shroud. The Royal gates were realized in the 19^th century to separate the small royal piazza from what is now Piazza Castello. After 1861, when the capital of the United Kingdom of Italy was moved to Rome, this Palace became a museum.

Palazzo Madama

Palazzo Madama or the Queen’s Palace is a unique example of the different architectural styles stratified in a single building, which are still visible in the medieval section with the stereotypical dungeons overlooking Via Po, and the Baroque and Neoclassical side looking onto Via Garibaldi and part of central Via Roma. Madama implies the Queen who lived in this Palace, because two queens once inhabited this residence.

Two of the towers we see today were actually built on the remains of the ancient Roman settlement gate that closed the city. In 1637, Christine Marie of France, wife of Duke Charles Emmanuel II of Savoy, chose it as her personal residence and redesigned it.

The Palace got its name 60 years later, when Marie Jeanne of Savoy also chose it as her personal residence and it was this last queen who requested Filippo Juvarra, the royal architect, to redesign it in Baroque style, with white stone. However, the works stalled and only one side of the Palace façade was completed.

After 1721 this Palace was used for many purposes: royal art gallery, senate and high court and since 1934, it’s been the Museo delle Antichita’ or Ancient Art Museum.

Castello del Valentino

Moving towards the Po River, there is the Castello del Valentino or Valentine’s Castle. Some scholars believe that this castle carries the name of the Saint because his relics are housed in a nearby church. Duke Emmanuel Philibert bought this castle but it was Queen Christine Marie who lived there from 1633 to 1660, and gave it its current form.

This is why the architectural style reminds us of French castles. For many years this castle was ignored and abandoned thus preserving all its 17^th century original frescos and decorations, and it wasn’t until 1860, when it became the headquarters of the Engineering school. Today, the Castello del Valentino is the headquarters of the architecture school and during the 2006 Winter Olympic Games it housed the Italian national team.

Following the river, we enter the 19^th century medieval recreation of a local borough and its castle. This is the main attraction of Valentino Park, one of Turin’s green corners.

La Venaria Reale

Moving to the northern suburb, in Venaria, it is well worth spending a whole day at La Venaria Reale or the Royal Palace of Venaria. Its name derives from the Latin “venatio regia” or royal hunt because Duke Charles Emmanuel II, needing a base of his hunting expeditions, requested this Palace to be designed and built in 1675.

After 1741 it was hardly used and in 1978, it was donated to the Italian Ministry of Culture. As a tourist site, it was finally opened to the public in 2007 and today it’s the third most visited Italian site.

Many consider it the Turin equivalent of Versailles and it is full of masterpieces: stuccos, statues and paintings, up to 8,000 according to the 17^th century architect who designed it. The gardens are spectacular and in summer a merenda sinoira or early evening dinner is served to the visitors.

Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi

In the southern suburb, there is Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi or the Royal Hunting Lodge of Stupinigi, originally built in early 1700. A secondary branch of the Savoy family owned this Palace back in 1418 and in 1563, Duke Emmanuel Philibert bought it when he moved the capital of the Savoy kingdom to Turin.

Photo credit: Valerio Minato

In 1729, works were started to make it the royal hunting lodge for King Victor Amadeus II. Both the building and the gardens kept extending under the projects of different royal architects and artists, and the final building now has 137 rooms and 17 galleries.

A bronze stag standing on the top of the central dome symbolized the purpose of the lodge; it was also the favorite place for the royal celebrations and weddings and today, it houses the Museum of Art and Furnishings – Museo di Arte e Ammobiliamento with some original pieces of this residence and others brought over from other Savoy royal palaces.

As for the park, it has been an official natural reserve since 1992. At Parco Naturale di Stupinigi you can admire original rare plant species as well as local wildlife: foxes, weasels, hares, hazel dormouses, beech martens, white storks and tree squirrels among the many.

All these Royal residences, except for the medieval reconstruction in the Valentino Park, are part of the UNESCO World Heritage List, so mark them down for your next Turin itinerary as they will definitely be worth a visit!

Have you visited any of these royal residences in Turin? 

Author’s Bio: Lucia Hannau was born and raised in Turin, Italy. She is the chief organizer ofTurin Epicurean Capital an international food lit event to share Turin and Piedmont goodies. For the latest updates on this event, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.