Piedmont World Heritage Sites: the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy

A country of beauty

PIEDMONT IS AN ATTRACTIVE AND UNUSUAL DESTINATION, CROWNED BY HILLS AND THE

PEAKS OF THE ALPS WITH A NUMBER OF SMALL, RICH TOWNS.

THE ALPINE CHAIN WHICH CROWNS OUR REGION ALSO PROVIDES

2,000 KM OF SKI SLOPES WHICH WERETHE SEAT OF THE 2006 WINTER OLYMPICS

LYING IN THE NORTH-WEST OF

ITALY, PIEDMONT IS A LAND OF NATURE,

WINE, FOOD, CULTURE, ART AND

HISTORY.

Sacra di San Michele

WE HAVE LANDSCAPES OF MOUNTAINS, HILLS, LAKES, CASTLES, SANCTUARIES AND ABBEYS.

Turin

Turin is the capital city of Piedmont and one of the least known Italian cities.

When you say Turin, people think of an industrial, grey, smoggy, uninteresting town.

One thinks of FIAT or Juventus, but Turin is also the capital of Baroque; there are about 50 museums, among which the Egyptian Museum - the second in the world - the Automobile Museum, the Cinema Museum in the Mole Antonelliana and, last but not least,

the Holy Shroud.The Royal Palaces (10 in the city, 4 nearby) have been included by

UNESCO in the world heritage list .

The city was founded by the Romans (Augusta Taurinorum) and developed following the plan of the

original Roman camp with perpendicular streets.

Turin is the first example of urbanism in the world.

Porte Palatine, the ancient Roman gates of

Augusta Taurinorum

With 18 km of arcades, with shops and historical “caffè” one can visit the city, or simply wander around without fear of the sun or of the rain. Take the time to stop at

one of the historical cafés to drink a Vermouth (did you know that it is made in

Turin ?) and eat a "panino".

The river Po, the hills, the Gran Madre and Monte dei Cappuccini, seat of the Mountain Museum

TURIN BY NIGHT AND THE MOLE ANTONELLIANA, SYMBOL OF THE CITY AND SEAT

OF THE CINEMA MUSEUM

 The Basilica of Superga stands on top of

a hill in a strategic position. It was built by Vittorio Amedeo II as a

vow after the siege of Turin in 1706 and was built between 1717-1731 to a design

by the great architect Filippo Juvarra.

The Basilica of Superga

The Savoys ruled over Piedmont for about nine hundred years. In 1861 Vittorio Emanuele II became the first king of Italy and Turin was the first Italian capital.

The Savoy residences, built in Turin and in the surrounding area with the aim to become a ‘Crown of Delights’, are now a national heritage.

VITTORIO EMANUELE II

In 1997 UNESCO listed the Savoys' Residences

and Collections as a World Heritage Site in recognition of their exceptional artistic

and cultural value

The Royal PalaceBegun in 1646 by Princess Royal Cristina of France, Palazzo Reale was the sumptuous official residence of the dukes, and later, of the House of Savoy for

over two centuries.

Madama Palace...  

 Located in the middle of Piazza Castello, this splendid museum-residence represents the history of Turin across two millenniums. It has an impressive façade, a beautiful hall and

monumental staircase. It was designed by Filippo Juvarra in 1721.

The rear area, still bearing the

15th-century appearance of a

castle.

…and Casaforte degli Acaja

  This beautiful palace,

birthplace of Carlo Alberto and Vittorio Emanuele II, was

built between 1679-84.In 1848, the central,

elliptical-shaped hall, once used for ceremonies, was transformed into the first Piedmontese Parliament.

Carignano Palace 

Immersed in the city’s largest park, overlooking the River Po, this beautiful typical French style 17th century residence

was designed for Princess Royal Cristina of France.

This was her favourite palace and she used it to organize jousts, tournaments,

celebrations and river games.

 VALENTINO CASTLE 

Villa della Regina

The original building was built for the Maurice of Savoy during the reign of his brother Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy . Inside there are frescoes and paintings by Giovanni

Battista Crosato , Daniel Seyter and Corrado Giaquinto; in the main room grotesques of Filippo Minei and paintings by the brothers Domenico and Giuseppe Valeriani in the

adjoining rooms; there are also precious Chinese Cabinets in lacquer and golden wood.

The Villa della Regina is a palace outside the city of Turin, Italy. It was originally built by the House of Savoy in the 17th century.

Stupinigi Castle

The “Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi” is one of the Savoy residences. Built in the early 18th century, it was used as a hunting lodge by the Savoy kings. It is located in Stupinigi, in the outskirts of Nichelino, a little town near Turin.

In 1658 he appointed architect Amedeo di Castellamonte to express the best of his fantasy. The French king, Louis XIV, saw the project of Venaria Reale and wanted

something even bigger. The Savoy complex came therefore chronologically before Versailles,

which was built a year later, in 1661.

The Castle of VenariaThe Castle of Venaria has a history made up of splendour, misfortune, plunder and

renaissance. Duke Carlo Emanuele II had the idea of the royal palace.

The Palace of Venaria is a former royal residence located in Venaria Reale, near Turin. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy and one of the largest royal residences in the world, comparable in size and structures to those

of Versailles and  Caserta.The Palace was designed and built from 1675 by Amedeo di Castellamonte,

commissioned by duke Charles Emmanuel II, who needed a base for his hunting expeditions in the heathy hill country north of Turin.

La Mandria Regional Park and Borgo Castello

La Mandria Regional Park is a park shared by the little towns of Venaria Reale and Druento, near Turin. Founded in 1978 by the Regional Council of Piedmont, it occupies a wide area between the Stura di Lanzo river and the north-western part of Turin and Venaria.It is the largest enclosed park in Europe, with a surface of some 3,000 hectares, bounded by a 35 km long wall built in mid-19th century by Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia, who had moved in the castle here (the Borgo Castello) the residence of

his morganatic wife, Rosa Vercellana. 

Rivoli Castle

The Castle of Rivoli is a former Residence of the Royal House of Savoy in Rivoli. It is currently home to the Castello di Rivoli - Museo

d'Arte Contemporanea, the museum of contemporary art of Turin

The Ducal Castle of Agliè

The Ducal Castle of Agliè is an imposing and elegant Savoy residence which goes back to the 12th century. It rears up on the splendid Canavese hills in the ancient village.

Moreover, it's rich in history and it has a lot of luxuriously furnished rooms. Moreover it's also been the setting of the very popular Italian TV series Elisa di Rivombrosa.

ELISA DI RIVOMBROSA SCENES

Elisa di Rivombrosa

Moncalieri Castle

The Castle of Moncalieri is a palace in Moncalieri, near Turin. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy.

Racconigi Castle

The Royal Castle of Racconigi is a palace and landscape park in Racconigi, province of Cuneo, Italy.

It was the official residence of the Carignano line of the House of Savoy, and is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy.

Govone CastleThe Royal Castle of Govone is one of the Piedmontese Savoy residences, which UNESCO designated as World Heritage Sites in December 1997. 

This Castle was built at the end of the 14th century and was later adapted to reflect the neo-gothic fashion of the 1830s when Carlo Alberto set up a modern farm on the premises. Nowadays, Pollenzo castle has been transformed to house the Università degli Studi di

Scienze Gastronomiche (University of the Study of Food), including a hotel, a restaurant, a wine cellar for the conservation of precious wines, and finally, it is the headquarters of the

Slow Food association.

Castle of Pollenzo

The Royal Castle of Valcasotto

Among the woods of the Maritime Alps the Certosa

of Valcasotto was originally built as a monastery. Later it

became a castle and later still the hunting lodge of the Savoy Kings Charles

Albert and Victor Emanuel II.

BY ITES “ROSA LUXEMBURG”

TURIN - ITALY