Of castles and kings

Palazzo Reale, the royal residence in the heart of Torino at Piazza Castello.

Americans do not usually visit Torino (Turin in English), yet it is a remarkable city that deserves a closer look. We first visited in 2014. That year as a birthday gift for Ric, my train-a-holic spouse, I found the longest trip one could make in a high-speed Frecciarossa train from Roma: a little over 4 hours to Torino. As the ride was the objective, we only stayed one night (see “Motown Italy”). What a mistake. We decided to correct that.

Torinese architecture, the Museum of the Risorgimento in Palazzo Carignano, one of the Savoy Palaces.

Setting our sights on getting to know the area and seeing some of the museums as well as palaces of the Savoia, we slipped away this week for 3 nights. The charming B&B A Casa di Giò was our home. Here we found a quiet refuge, incredible hosts and, reinforcing my impression that Americans do not stop in Torino, we were the first American guests to stay in their home. Located near Piazza Castello, the heart of Torino, A Casa di Giò was perfectly located to explore the city on foot.

A typical porticoed street makes for nice shopping, protection from heat or rain.

Torino is pedestrian friendly to a fault. Not once did a motorino creep up my backside as they do in Roma, and drivers actually yielded to pedestrians in the crosswalks. Lovely wide sidewalks under substantial porticos reminded us of Bologna, last winter’s city trip. The wide piazzas and generous parks combined with tree-lined boulevards reminded us a bit of Paris. No wonder! Napoleon’s occupation of the Piemonte resulted in a legacy that left the city of Torino with some of these grand public places.

Apericena is a thing in Torino as well as Milano. Buy a glass of very good wine for €7.00 and you get a plate of savories at Mulassano. Stop a few places and you’ve had cena, Italian for dinner.

Who goes to Torino? It is very much on the radar of Italians and other Europeans. There’s a vibrant opera and the Piemonte region is also the home turf of the Savoys, Italian royalty that spawned several kings of the newly unified Italy in the 19th century. The patrimony of modern Italy is here. Castles and kings indeed!

La Mole Antonelliana. We tried to ascend, but were foiled by a Japanese film crew that had taken it over for a shoot.

La Venaria Reale is the Versailles of Torino. It is much easier to get to than Versailles, and far less crowded. We thought we would pass a couple of hours here. We could have spent much of the day! As the vast gardens were in hibernation, we chose to skip them and return sometime on a sunny spring day.

A sprawling estate dating to the 17th century, La Venaria was built as a hunting lodge. In its heyday, the stables housed hundreds of horses and dozens of hunting dogs. The estate has had a history of construction, destruction, additions and renovations so extensive that it is difficult to believe anyone had time to live here. Unfortunately, during the Napoleonic domination, the structures were turned into barracks and the gardens used for military training. The Italian military continued this tradition until 1978, after which it was ransacked to the degree that neither doors nor windows remained. We saw pictures of what a train wreck the property was just a couple of decades ago. Fortunately, those interested in preserving Italian history embarked on a restoration project and since 2007 it has been open to visitors.

This is how crowded La Venaria was…. Most of the people here are the same Japanese film crew we encountered at La Mole.

I had some familiarity with the House of Savoy due to my work as a docent at the U.S. Embassy. The main palazzo at the embassy is called Palazzo Margherita as Queen Margherita of Savoy live in it for 20 years. This family has deep roots. Dukes and Counts, Marquis and Marquesses, not to mention Kings of Sardegna, Sicily, and Italy, this family dates back to 1003.

Ceiling detail, La Venaria Reale.

La Venaria is only one of many luxurious palaces ringing the city of Torino built, as the website states to create a refined “Crown of Delights” around the capital, as a demonstration of the magnificence of the House of Savoy. It is good to be the king.

A little something from the Egyptian Museum. Many of the artifacts were transported across the mountains from Genova in military wagons pulled by horses, 19th-century style.

While we did not get to see any other palaces or castles from the interior (I can only handle so much majesty in a day), many are in use for other purposes, such as the Museum of the Risorgimento at Palazzo Carignano, and the Municipal Museum of Ancient Art in Palazzo Madama. This website has links to information about all of the Royal Residences.

We did manage to fit in a visit to the impressive Egyptian Museum, the second most important in the world for Egyptology enthusiasts (only the museum in Cairo is considered more important). A five-year renovation was completed less than a year ago, and the result is a well-curated, open, light, and engaging museum. Why is the second-largest collection of Egyptian artifacts in Torino? It all started with a purchase by a Savoy King, Carlo Emanuele I in 1630…. Castles and kings indeed.

 

Medieval castle in Parco del Valentino. This is a recreation in a medieval village created for an exposition in the 1880s.

Wide open spaces: Piazza Vittorio Veneto, Torino.

Piazza San Carlo, Torino.

Castello di Valentino in the homonymously named park. In the 1500s it was a riverside residence located out of town.

Another beautiful, wide, portico in the center.

Palazzo Madama in Piazza Castello, an art museum. Yup, another Savoy palace, this one a center for governing.

La Venaria Reale – view from the main palazzo toward the mountains.

This is how crowded La Venaria was…. Most of the people here are the same Japanese film crew we encountered at La Mole.

Ceiling detail, La Venaria Reale.

Bucintoro commissioned by a Savoy in the early 18th century. It is HUGE, a “state barge” of the type used by the Doges in Venezia, hosed in the gigantic stables at La Venaria..

The Torinese excel at pastries.

More Torinese delights

Like most Italians, the Torinese can put away the pastires.

Tags: La Venaria Reale, Savoia, Savoy, Torino, Turin