Tour: Royal Palace – Turin Royal Palace Complex.
The Royal Palace of Turin (Palazzo Reale) was the residence of the rulers of the Savoy dynasty, who ran a duchy with its capital in Turin. Palazzo Reale is now a museum complex available to the public. The building is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The rich interiors of the palace of the rulers of Turin are lavish, gilded and decorated with precious stones, frescoes, tapestries, paintings, fine furniture, mouldings, large mirrors and mosaics on the floor. During a visit to Palazzo Reale you can see the bedrooms, the ceremonial and throne rooms, as well as a number of other suites. The 20 marble columns supporting the vault of the ballroom will help you appreciate the scale of the ballroom. Of particular interest to visitors is the incredible Scala delle Forbici staircase.
The family chapel once housed the Shroud of Turin, an important religious relic for Christians, until it was moved to Turin Cathedral, which is connected to the palace by an underground passageway.
The museum complex, in addition to the Royal Palace itself, includes an armoury with a collection of weapons and armour from past centuries. Among other things – mouthpieces, blades, pistols, on many items you can see inlays and engravings; the royal library with a huge collection of ancient publications, engravings, maps, scientific works of different centuries.
The famous “Self-Portrait” by Leonardo da Vinci is kept here. The royal library expanded considerably when King Carlo Alberto began buying exhibits from antique dealers and collectors.
Since 2014, part of the palace has been occupied by the Turin Art Gallery, where you can see works by Italian masters, Flemish and Dutch artists. It contains works from the collection of the kings of the Savoy dynasty.
The temporary exhibition hall is called Palazzo Chiablese; the Museum of Antiquities (Archaeological Museum) is also part of the Palazzo Reale complex in Turin. The museum houses artefacts collected by the Dukes of Savoy since the early 16th century;
After exploring the magnificent palace halls, you can relax in the Royal Garden. There are flower beds, beautiful green spaces and the Tritoni fountain.
The Palazzo Reale was built between 1646 and 1660. Previously, the palace of the Bishop of Turin was located on this site.
The architect of the Palazzo Reale in Turin was Amadeo and Carlo di Castellamonte and Carlo Morello, the court masters. Later, in the 18th century, the grand staircase “Scalone delle Forbici” (“Scissors”) was created by Filippo Iuvarra.
The royal family used the Palazzo Reale di Torino for about two centuries. From 1865, the palace became a secondary residence as Florence and then Rome became the capital of united Italy.
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