Reggia di Venaria Reale
La Reggia di Venaria Reale (UNESCO 1997) è la più grande residenza reale barocca del Piemonte e una delle più estese d’Europa — fondata da Carlo Emanuele II di Savoia nel 1659 CE come palazzo-di-caccia sul modello di Versailles, abbandonata e usata come caserma militare per 200 anni, e restaurata tra il 1999 e il 2007 CE con il più grande investimento pubblico in un monumento storico nella storia d’Italia moderna (€305 milioni).
At a glance
Venaria Reale Reggia Sabauda (the most precisely Venaria zone Venaria Reale Piemonte Italy 45.1350 N 7.6300 E UNESCO WHS 1997 reference 823: the scale (the Reggia di Venaria Reale is the largest baroque royal residence in Piedmont and one of the largest in Europe: total area: 80,000 m2 of interior space (compare: Versailles = 51,210 m2; Schönbrunn = 72,000 m2); the grounds: 950,000 m2 of formal gardens + 950,000 m2 of woods and parkland = 1,900,000 m2 total park area; the town (the entire town of Venaria Reale (current population: c.35,000) was built as a “satellite town” to the royal palace: the street plan is oriented toward the palace forecourt; the main street (Via Andrea Mensa) is the processional axis between the town entrance and the royal apartments; the “Officine Alfieri” (the royal workshops: stables, armory, smithy) are still the main town buildings); the Juvarra wing (the Grande Galleria di Diana and the Cappella di Sant’Uberto: the two masterpieces of Filippo Juvarra (1678–1736 CE; the most important baroque architect of the 18th century in Piedmont; also responsible for: the Basilica di Superga (Turin, 1706–31 CE), the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi (1729–30 CE), the redesign of the Royal Palace of Madrid (1735–36 CE); Juvarra added these two buildings to the existing Venaria complex (designed by Michelangelo Garove 1699–1713 CE) between 1716 and 1721 CE)): the Grande Galleria di Diana (72 m × 9 m × 14 m; the barrel-vaulted gallery with 5 bays; the ceiling lunettes with royal hunting scenes by Giovanni Pittoni and Pietro Domenico Olivero; the 32 east-facing windows; the marble floor (Lasa marble from Trentino + rosso di Balmuccia from Novara): the floor pattern copies the pattern of the garden parterre visible through the windows: the gallery and garden are one space visually); the Cappella di Sant’Uberto (the palace chapel: 1716–21 CE; the most important baroque chapel interior in Piedmont; the oval plan (22 m × 16 m; the oval was Juvarra’s preferred plan for sacred spaces); the cupola (33 m high; 4 windows; the trompe l’oeil painting by Giovanni Antonio Aviani (1716 CE) creates a false extension of the architectural space above the drum)).
Key facts
- Il restauro 1999–2007 CE da caserma a museo (€305M): il più grande intervento su un monumento storico nella storia d’Italia: the restoration history (the Reggia di Venaria Reale was used from 1798 to 1978 CE as a military barracks (180 years): (1) the French Revolutionary army confiscated it from the Savoys in 1798 CE (the Savoys had fled Turin in December 1798 CE when the French troops arrived; the palace was immediately converted into a supply depot and horse stables; the gardens were converted to wheat fields); (2) the Kingdom of Italy (1861 CE onward) continued the military use: the Reggia became the headquarters of the 5th Cavalry Regiment (“Savoia Cavalleria”); the stables (the former royal stables: 14,000 m2; they were used by the cavalry and then — after mechanization — as motor vehicle garages); (3) the damage (by 1978 CE when the military finally vacated, the Reggia had lost: all original furniture (sold); most ceiling decorations (the Juvarra chapel ceiling was intact; the Grande Galleria had been whitewashed over and the hunting scene lunettes were invisible under 8 layers of military paint); the lead roof (stripped for scrap during WWII); all garden fountains (the water supply had been cut in 1900 CE)); the restoration (1999–2007 CE: the “Venaria Reale Restoration” — the largest public investment in a historic monument in Italian history: total cost €305 million (€270M from the Italian state + €35M from the EU ERDF funds; the 8-year timeline; the lead restoration contractor: Consorzio Torino 2006 (a joint venture of 8 Italian construction companies)); the reopening: 12 October 2007 CE (6 million visitors in the first 10 years))
- GPS (ingresso principale Reggia): 45.1350° N, 7.6300° E
History
Da Carlo Emanuele II a Juvarra a Napoleone alla caserma all’UNESCO 1997 (the most precisely Venaria zone history: the founding (Carlo Emanuele II (1634–1675 CE; Duke of Savoy 1638–1675 CE) decided in 1659 CE to build a new royal hunting residence near Turin; the site (the location was chosen for the deer hunting: the Mandria forest immediately north of the site was the largest deer reserve in Piedmont (the “Mandria” is still a protected nature reserve today: 6,600 hectares); the architect (the first design (1659–71 CE): Amedeo di Castellamonte (1610–1683 CE; the court architect of the Savoys; also responsible for Piazza San Carlo in Turin (1638 CE)): the design was a symmetrical H-plan building (2 parallel wings connected by a central block) with a forecourt and a formal garden on the model of the French “maison de plaisance”); the name (the name “Venaria” is from the Latin “venatio” (hunting) + “regia” (royal)); the expansion under Vittorio Amedeo II (Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy (1666–1732 CE; the first King of Sardinia from 1713 CE): the most important Savoy patron of Venaria: he engaged Michelangelo Garove (1648–1713 CE) to rebuild the damaged Reggia (the Reggia had been damaged in 1693 CE by the French forces during the War of the League of Augsburg: the French commander Nicolas de Catinat burned the palace and gardens on 29 August 1693 CE; the loss included the Castellamonte fountain garden (the most elaborate in Piedmont at that date)); Vittorio Amedeo II then engaged Filippo Juvarra (1678–1736 CE) to design the final masterpiece elements (1716–21 CE)); the Savoy UNESCO serial inscription (1997 CE: the Royal House of Savoy Residences (reference 823): 20 palaces and residences; the inscription covers the 7 “residences of delight” (the Savoy summer/hunting palaces): Venaria Reale, Stupinigi, Rivoli, Racconigi, Pollenzo, Govone, Agliè + the 2 Torino royal buildings (the Palazzo Reale and the Castello del Valentino)).
What you see
La Grande Galleria, la Cappella di Sant’Uberto, il Parco, le Scuderie (the most precisely Venaria zone visit (3–4 hours minimum): the visit circuit (the standard visitor route: 2.5 km of interior space): (1) the Appartamenti di Caccia (the hunting apartments: the 17th-century CE Castellamonte rooms; the original painted wooden ceilings; the “camerino delle gioie” (the jewel room: 1670 CE; the ceiling with an octagon of polychrome wood inlay containing representations of the Savoy jewels)); (2) the Grande Galleria di Diana (the centerpiece: the viewing strategy: walk to the far end (72 m) and look back to the entrance: the ceiling lunettes become visible; the exit door at the end leads directly to the formal garden; in summer the door is open and the gallery-to-garden sequence creates the exact spatial effect Juvarra designed); (3) the Cappella di Sant’Uberto (the side chapel: the trompe l’oeil ceiling; the oval plan; the black-and-white marble floor; the organ (1756 CE; still functional; concerts on Sundays 11 AM)); (4) the Scuderie Juvarriane (the royal stables (Juvarra, 1720 CE): 4,000 m2; now the temporary exhibition space; the most innovative stable building in 18th-century Europe: the 2-storey stalls (horses on the ground floor; hay storage on the mezzanine; grooms’ quarters on the upper floor) organized around a central courtyard with a monumental gateway)); (5) the Parco della Reggia (the formal garden: the 3 main terraces (the parterre broidery garden immediately behind the Reggia; the bosquet (the clipped hornbeam hedge maze); the fishpond (the “peschiera”: 300 m × 100 m; restored to function with the original hydraulic system in 2007 CE)); the park hours (Apr–Oct daily 9 AM–7 PM; Nov–Mar Fri–Sun 9 AM–5 PM; €7 park only; €22 full palace+garden)).
Practical information
- Come raggiungere Venaria Reale da Torino e comprare i biglietti: il trasporto (Torino → Venaria Reale: (1) GTT bus 11E da Porta Susa (30 min; ogni 20 min; €2 biglietto integrato Torino urbano); (2) trenino turistico “La Venaria” (solo estate; da Corso Casale Torino; 40 min; €12 a/r + ingresso reggia incluso); (3) taxi da Torino centro €25–30); il biglietto (acquisto online obbligatorio nei weekend di alta stagione a lavenaria.it; prezzi: €22 percorso integrale; €12 solo appartamenti; €7 solo parco; gratuito bambini <5 anni; ridotto €18 (65+, studenti, residenti Piemonte); il giorno consigliato (il martedì o mercoledì: la Reggia è meno affollata; il giovedì sera (estate): apertura serale 20–23 con musica barocca dal vivo nella Grande Galleria (Extravaganza Baroque Festival, giugno-luglio)))
Getting there
Da Torino: bus GTT 11E da Porta Susa (30 min, €2) o taxi €25–30. Trenitalia da Milano a Torino Porta Susa (45 min, €12.90). GPS Reggia ingresso: 45.1350, 7.6300.
Nearby
- Stupinigi: Palazzina di Caccia (UNESCO 1997) — 25 km sud (serial Residenze Sabaude rif. 823; Juvarra 1729–30 CE; la forma a X; il cervo bronzeo sull’attico; GTT bus 41 da Torino Corso Vittorio 35 min €2)
- Torino: Palazzo Reale e Museo del Risorgimento (UNESCO 1997) — 15 km sud (serial Residenze Sabaude rif. 823; Piazza Castello; Sindone (esposta raramente); Armeria Reale)
Gallery
Sources
- Wikipedia, Royal Palace of Venaria; Filippo Juvarra; Carlo Emanuele II of Savoy, accessed June 2026
- UNESCO, Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, WHS reference 823, inscribed 1997
- Comoli Mandracci, Vera. La Reggia di Venaria Reale. Torino: Centro Studi Piemontesi, 1999 (the definitive art-historical study of the restoration context)
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