History

Duke Carlo Emanuele II commissioned the palace with a specific purpose: to establish a grand hunting lodge in the Turin hills. The name itself—Venaria Reale, from the Latin Venatio Regia—reflects this original function, derived from the term for hunting. Architect Amedeo di Castellamonte designed the complex to command the landscape.

The palace’s strategic location at the foot of the Lanzo Valleys proved ideal. Proximity to the expansive Gran Paese forests, stretching roughly one hundred kilometers toward the Alpine mountains, ensured abundant game for royal hunts. The success of the residence sparked growth: workers and citizens constructed homes and palaces nearby, transforming the surrounding area into a thriving community that eventually became the independent municipality of Venaria Reale.