The Royal Residences of the House of Savoy

Turin is home to a number of Castles and Royal Palaces of remarkable historical and artistic value, which are part of an architectural and urban design plan intended to create an ideal frame around the city. They are known collectively as the Crown of Delights of the House of Savoy, a definition dating back to the time when they were built, between the 16th and the 17th century, indicating a group of leisure estates that doubled as centers of power and territorial control for the rulers.   

The Crown of Delights consisted of around fifteen majestic palaces comprising gardens and artworks to compete for beauty and grandiosity with the most opulent European royal residences of the time. 
Some of them were gradually abandoned and would eventually disappeared, as was the case with the Regio Parco and the Castle of Mirafiori, but luckily most of them are still in place today and have become part of our common heritage and of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.

La Venaria Reale is the "gateway": a monumental complex dating back to the mid-17th century. The estate consists of an 80,000 sq.m. Palace, 60 hectares of gardens, 3,000 hectares of fenced and protected parkland (the Park of La Mandria) and the adjoining Old Town. Together they make up a single architectural and environmental continuum that offers a shiny example of European Baroque.

In addition to La Venaria, other important Royal Residences include the imposing Castle of Moncalieri on the Turin hillside, and the Stupinigi Hunting Lodge in the vicinity, another extraordinary example of artistic complexity finely decorated by the brilliant architect Filippo Juvarra. Other remarkable gems are the historical Castle of Agliè in the Canavese area, and the Castle of La Mandria, near the Reggia di Venaria, with their parks and collections, that provide illustrations of historical events at different points in time all the way to the 20th century.

Today the Royal Residences of the House of Savoy have come together as a novel, unique, unmissable "exotic destination" in Italy offering a cultural experience that is different and constantly renewed: a visit that requires at least a weekend to truly appreciate their natural and historical beauty, accompanied by the local delicacies that abound in these areas. 

For more information: residenzerealisabaude.com.