The “Crown of Delight” – this is how the court architect of the 17th century named the system of country residences around the Piedmont capital – Turin. The Rivoli Castle, the cradle of the Savoy dynasty, and the hunting palace of Stupinigi – a masterpiece of Baroque architecture.
Rivoli – a rather small and quiet town in the Italian province of Turin with beautiful palaces, parks, and alleys, but the ancient castle located in its center undoubtedly remains the main attraction. The reason for this is not only its massive size but also the spirit of antiquity preserved within its walls. It is believed that the castle appeared in the 9th-10th centuries, however, written evidence of it only appears in 1159, when the castle becomes the property of the Turin bishops. In the 11th century, it was acquired by the royal house of Savoy.
After the attack by the French army, the gallery was looted, and the masterpieces of painting were irretrievably lost. After the death of King Victor-Amadeus II, the Rivoli Castle was abandoned for a long one and a half centuries. In the following years, it housed a barracks, then a library. After the destruction caused by World War II, the castle remained forgotten until 1974, when its restoration began.
In 1984, a new period began for the Rivoli Castle. The Museum of Contemporary Art opened there, which gained an honorable place at the international level.
The main focus of the museum exhibition is on the art of the urban movement Arte Povera (“poor art”).
For the creation of works, all the garbage that comes to hand is used: junk, earth, clothing, fabrics, sticks, etc.
The Hunting Palace of Stupinigi – one of the residences of the royal Savoy dynasty, part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. Built as a royal hunting lodge in the early 18th century in Stupinigi, a suburb of Nichelino, 10 km southwest of Turin.
Originally, there was a small castle on this site, owned by the Acaia family, a secondary branch of the Savoy dynasty. In 1493, it was sold to Marquis Rolando Pallavicino, and then, in 1563, it was repurchased by Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, when the capital of the duchy was moved to Turin.
The new palace was designed by architect Filippo Juvarra for Victor Amadeus II and was to be used as a hunting lodge. The total area of the hunting lodge reached 31,050 sq. m., and the building itself has 137 rooms and 17 galleries. Today, the Palazzina di Caccia houses a Museum of Art and Furniture, some of which have survived to this day from the construction of the palace, while others were brought from other Savoy residences in Moncalieri and Venaria Reale.
It is worth mentioning the hunting grounds that stretch around the Palazzina. Since 1992, the forests and agricultural lands here have been protected as the Stupinigi Natural Park. The total area of the park is 17.3 sq. km.
Open every day except Monday, December 24-25, January 1, May 1.
