Jewels of Italy:

SPLENDID ROYAL PALACES IN ITALY

ROYAL PALACE – TORINO     

Built in place of the old episcopal palace and as an extension of the palace of San Giovanni, Turin’s Palazzo Reale was commissioned from the military architect Ascanio Vitozzi by duke Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, in 1584. The buildings as we see it today is the result of the additions ordered by Christina of France from 1643 on wards and executed by Amedeo di Castellamonte and his assistants. Royal Palace of Turin was the seat of the Savoy royal family from 1646 until the unification of Italy. Behind the austere façade lie richly decorated state apartments. The many splendid furnishings, tapestries and ornaments date from the 17th to the 19th centuries.  Further extensions were made to the Palace by Filippo Juvarra after 1713. Special areas for Offices, the State Archive, and the Royal Theatre were built. After Juvarra, the Court Architect was Benedetto Alfieri, who worked on rooms on the second floor, and renovated several of the Sale di Rappresentanza. Under his direction, the Galleria di Daniel became a Ballroom. Behind the palace are extensive gardens, which extend northward.

www.ilpalazzorealeditorino.it

THE VENARIA REALE – TORINO      

The Venaria Reale complex is a unique environmental and architectural whole. It is one of the most significant examples of the magnificent architecture and art of the 17th and 18th centuries. The Reggia of Venaria Reale and the Royal residence of La Mandria have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The origins of Venaria Reale date back to the mid 17th century when Duke Carlo Emanuele II of Savoia decided to build a new residence to be used by the court for pleasure and hunting.  Venaria Reale was not conceived as a self-contained residence but as a carefully structured complex whose residential areas were integrated with those used by the court and then merged seamlessly with the surrounding nature. The fulcrum was the palace, the so-called Reggia di Diana which was destined to undergo two centuries of endless changes, reconstructions and events that, by reflection, influenced the town s social and economic life.

www.lavenaria.it

ROYAL CASTLE – RACCONIGI      

ROYAL PALACE – MONZA     

Monza’s Villa Reale is a big neoclassical complex used as summer residence by Austrian royal family and Italian Savoia royal family. Nowadays it hosts exhibits and events. Villa Reale was built between 1773 and 1780 by architect Giuseppe Piermarini as a country residence for the Austrian vice-king, archduke Ferdinand Hasburg. In 1806 the Parco di Monza was created as hunting grounds. After Italy’s Unification, Villa Reale has been used by Savoia family, especially by king Umberto I, who stayed in Monza very often. In 1900 Umberto I had been killed by anarchist Gaetano Bresci in the avenue in front of Villa Reale (now Vialone Cesare Battisti). After this episode, new king Vittorio Emanuele II abandoned Villa Reale and it was left in decay for a long time. Nowadays Villa Reale has been partially restored and works still go on. The large complex is built on a classical U-plan and has a beautiful park garden. The greenhouse rotonda has frescoes by Andrea Appiani. The villa interiors are magnificent, rich in stucco works and boiseries. 

www.comune.monza.it/

ROYAL PALACE – MILANO      

The Royal Palace is one of the most beautiful architectures of the Milanese 18th century. It was the home of the Visconti and of the Sforza families in the past and later, residence of the Spanish and of the Austrian governors. In 1452, the Palazzo Reale was remodelled by Francesco Sforza. It was the architect Giuseppe Piermarini (the same who designed La Scala theatre and the Royal Palace of Monza) who renovated the building between 1771 and 1778 giving it the splendid Neoclassical appearance it has today. From 1598 the Royal Palace housed the first permanent theatre in Milan, then destroyed by fire in 1776. In 1965 the city of Milan purchased the palace to use it as offices, museums and for the temporary shows and exhibitions. One of the attractions of the palace is the 1804 miniature Roman forum centerpiece, with replicas of statues, temples and columns made of marble, onyx and gilded bronze. Palazzo Reale is also home to the Cimac, the City Council s Contemporary Art Museum.

www.aboutmilan.com

PALAZZO PITTI – FIRENZE        

The Palazzo Pitti is a vast mainly Renaissance palace in Florence. It was originally the town residence of Luca Pitti, an ambitious Florentine banker. The palace was bought by the Medici family in 1549 and became the chief residence of the ruling families of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. It grew as a great treasure house as later generations amassed paintings, plates, jewelry and luxurious possessions. In the late 18th century, the palazzo was used as a power base by Napoleon, and later served for a brief period as the principal royal palace of the newly united Italy. The palace and its contents were donated to the Italian people by King Victor Emmanuel III in 1919, and its doors were opened to the public as one of Florence’s largest art galleries. Today, it houses several minor collections in addition to those of the Medici family, and is fully open to the public. The palazzo is now the largest museum complex in Florence and is characterized by a severe and simple architecture. Control of the palazzo is in the hands of the Italian state through the “Polo Museale Fiorentino”, an institution which administers twenty museums, including the Uffizi Gallery. In spite of its metamorphosis from royal residence to a state-owned public building, the palazzo, sitting on its elevated site overlooking Florence, still retains the air and atmosphere of a private collection in a grand house. The palazzo still impresses visitors with the splendors of Florence, the purpose for which it was originally built.

www.polomuseale.firenze.it

THE QUIRINAL PALACE – ROMA      

The Quirinal Palace is the current official residence of the President of the Italian Republic on the Quirinal Hill, the tallest of the seven hills of Rome. The palace was built as summer residence in 1573 by Pope Gregory XIII, and was the location of conclaves. Until September 1870, when the papal state was overthrown, in the year of Italian unity  the palace hosted the central offices of the civil government of Papal State. About five months later, in 1871, Rome became the capital of the new Kingdom of Italy. The palace became the official royal residence of the Kings of Italy. The monarchy was abolished in 1946 and the Palace became the official residence and workplace for the Presidents of the Italian Republic. The façade was designed by Domenico Fontana. Its ‘Great Chapel’ was designed by Carlo Maderno. It contains frescos by Guido Reni, but the most famous fresco is the Blessing Christ by Melozzo da Forlì, placed over the stairs. Its grounds include a famous set of gardens laid out in the eighteenth century.

www.quirinale.it

ROYAL PALACE – NAPOLI      

The Royal Palace of Napoli is one of the four residences used by the Bourbon Kings of Naples during their rule of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies (1730-1860): one is in Caserta, another on the Capodimonte hill overlooking Naples, and the third is in Portici on the slopes of Vesuvius. The Royal Palace is on the site of an earlier building meant to host King Philip III of Spain; the architect chosen for that palace was Domenico Fontana. The royal residence was moved to Caserta in the 18th century, as that inland town was more defensible from naval assault than Naples. The 17th century palace visible today is, however, the result of numerous additions and changes, including some by Luigi Vanvitelli and then by Gaetano Genovese after a fire had damaged much of the palace. Additionally, restoration was done after World War II to repair bomb damage. The western façade side of the building displays a series of statues of the rulers of dynasties to rule Naples since the foundation of the Kingdom of Naples in the twelfth century. Today, the palace and adjacent grounds house the San Carlo Theater, a museum, the National Library of Naples and a number of city offices, including those of the regional tourist board.

www.palazzorealenapoli.ibeniculturali.it

REGGIA DI CAPODIMONTE – NAPOLI     

The Palace and Museum of Capodimonte is a grand Bourbon palace in Naples, formerly the summer residence and hunting lodge of the kings of the Two Sicilies. It houses the main museum and art gallery of the city. “Capodimonte” means “top of the hill”, and the palace was originally just outside the city, which has now expanded to surround it. It was built at the command of Charles VII, king of Naples and Sicily and started in 1738. King Charles built it partly to house the fabulous Farnese art collection which he had inherited from his mother, Elisabetta Farnese, last descendant of the sovereign ducal family of Parma. It is the prime repository of Neapolitan and general Italian cultural heritage in the city. The first and second floors house the Galleria Nazionale (National Gallery), with paintings from the 13th to the 18th centuries including major works by Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio and many others. Elsewhere in the palace the royal apartments are furnished with antique 18th century furniture and a collection of porcelain and majolica from the various royal residences. The palace is situated in the Bosco di Capodimonte (‘Hilltop Wood’), which served as a royal hunting preserve. There is still a pleasant park around the palace.

polomusealenapoli.beniculturali.it

ROYAL PALACE – CASERTA         

The Royal Palace of Caserta is a former royal residence in Caserta, constructed for the Bourbon kings of Naples. It was the largest palace and probably the largest building erected in Europe in the eighteenth century. In 1996, the Palace of Caserta was listed among the World Heritage Sites. The construction of the palace was begun in 1752 for Charles VII of Naples, who worked closely with his architect Luigi Vanvitelli. The political and social model for Vanvitelli’s palace was Versailles, which, though it is strikingly different in its variety and disposition, solves similar problems of assembling and providing for king, court and government in a massive building with the social structure of a small city. The reasons for building the Palace were to have a new magnificent administrative capital of the Kingdom in Caserta and to protect the court from possible attacks from the sea. The King also decided to build a theatre, a large library, and a university. The garden is inspired by the park of Versailles, but it is commonly regarded as superior in beauty. The park starts from the back façade of the palace, flanking a long alley with artificial fountains and cascades.

www.reggiadicaserta.beniculturali.it