Palace of Venaria
The Palace of Venaria (Italian: Reggia di Venaria Reale) is a former royal residence and gardens located in Venaria Reale, near the city of Turin in the Piedmont region in northern Italy. It is one of the 14 residences of the royal House of Savoy built in the area between the 16th and 18th centuries which were collectively designated UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
The Palace was designed and built from 1675 by Amedeo di Castellamonte, commissioned by duke Charles Emmanuel II, who needed a base for his hunting expeditions in the heathy hill country north of Turin. The name itself derives from the Latin phrase Venatio Regia meaning "Royal Hunt". It was later enlarged to become a luxurious residence for the House of Savoy. During that time, the palace complex became a masterpiece of Baroque architecture and was filled with decoration and artwork. It fell into disuse at the end of the 18th century. After the Napoleonic wars, it was used for military purposes until 1978, when its renovation began, leading to the largest restoration project in European history. It finally opened to the public on October 13, 2007, and it has since become a major tourist attraction and exhibition space.
It is noted for its monumental architecture and Baroque interiors by Filippo Juvarra, including the Galleria Grande and its marble decorations, the chapel of Saint Uberto, and its extensive gardens. The palace received 1,048,857 visitors in 2017, making it the sixth most visited museum in Italy.[2]
History[edit]
17th-century construction[edit]
Duke of Savoy Charles Emmanuel II (1634–1675) was inspired by the earlier Castle of Mirafiori (Italian: Castello di Mirafiori), built by Duke Charles Emmanuel I (1562–1630) for his wife Catherine Michaela of Spain (1567–1597) in what is today the southern suburb of Turin.
Keen to leave a memorial dedicated to himself and his wife, Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours (1644–1724), Charles Emmanuel II bought two small villages just north of the city, Altessano Superiore and Altessano Inferiore, from the landowner family Birago of Milanese origin, who had used the land for farming. The place was the renamed Venaria for its future function as a hunting lodge (Venatio in Latin). The construction of this residence was part of the larger plan of building the so-called "Garland of Delights" (Corona di Delizie), a chain of palaces and leisure residences around Turin, which also included the hunting lodge of Stupinigi, the Castle of Rivoli, the Queen's Villa, and others.
