Stupinigi

Filippo Juvarra designed this for Victor Amadeus II from 1729 as a hunting palace, using a plan of four arms radiating from a central oval hall so that the whole building opens outward toward the woods. The central salon rises through two floors under a dome frescoed with the hunt of Diana, and a bronze stag stands on the roof above it, a copy since the original is inside. Napoleon stayed here, and the lodge later held the wedding celebrations of Savoy princes. It is part of the UNESCO listing of Savoy residences and holds a museum of furniture and decorative arts from the royal houses.

History

The estate centres on the Castelvecchio, a medieval castle of the Savoy-Acaja, which the Marquis Orlando Pallavicino bought in 1439 and which passed to Duke Emmanuel Philibert in 1563. Filippo Juvarra designed the hunting lodge for Victor Amadeus, and work began in 1729; two years later it hosted its first hunt (Wikipedia, Stupinigi).

What you'll find

• The X-shaped plan - four wings radiating from a central oval hall.
• The central salon - a two-storey room under a frescoed hunting dome.
• The bronze stag - a copy on the roof, the original displayed inside.
• The furniture museum - decorative arts from the Savoy residences.

When to go

April to October; the palace closes Mondays and keeps reduced winter hours. The surrounding park is open more freely. Special exhibitions occupy some rooms.

Good to know

Only part of the building is open, and the wings are largely empty. The park has been reduced by roads and development around Turin. Public transport is slow.

Nearby

Turin lies northeast; Venaria Reale is north of the city.

Key facts