Residences of the Royal House of Savoy by Monica Tasciotti
On my last trip to Turin, I visited Palazzo Reale, Palazzo Madama, Venaria Reale and Castello di Rivoli with its Museum of Contemporary Art. I don’t love particularly Contemporary Art but the Castello is very pleasant, also thanks to the sunny spring weather on that day. You can eat outside the cafeteria enjoying the panorama but there’s also a very famous, elegant and expensive restaurant there (Sunday closed) if you can afford the price.
With a car, on the same day you can visit both Venaria (12€) and Rivoli (6.5€) since they are on the same direction. Venaria is one of the biggest Savoy residences but one part of the palace (the Scuderie Juvarriane) can be visited only on the occasion of big art expositions. Plants in the Gardens are still very young and the long Vasca (2.5km fountains) is under restoration but there you can get acquainted with the long history of the Savoy family. Rooms in Palazzo Reale are similar to many other royal palaces but there’s not much original furniture, in any case it still worth a visit. Go early in the morning when visiting this Palazzo since tours varies according to days and hours, so it can be difficult to visit all the apartments on the first and second floor and the kitchens (6.50/10€) on the same day. Don’t miss to take a look at the San Lorenzo Church outside and the cafeteria inside. Worth a visit Palazzo Madama with its Museum created after the visit of the founder of the Victoria & Albert in London. If you are in Turin during the week you can also take a look at Castello del Valentino, now hosting the Faculty of Architecture meanwhile to visit Villa della Regina you need to book well in advance. Unfortunately, the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi (probably the most beautiful of the residences) is currently closed because it needs heavy restoration. Anyway, even if they aren’t WHS, don’t go away before having visited the famous Egyptian Museum and the very interesting Cinema Museum in the Mole Antonelliana where you can also enjoy a wonderful view of the city surrounded by the Alps taking its elevator to the top (5€ only the elevator, 9€ with the Museum). When visiting Turin and its surroundings consider to buy the convenient Torino+Piemonte Card: € 20,00 (2 days), € 25,00 (3 days).