La Venaria Reale

Welcome to the Reggia di Venaria Reale, a monumental testament to the ambition and grandeur of the House of Sah-voy. As we stand before this sprawling complex, located roughly ten kilometers outside of Torino, you are looking at…

We begin our exploration at the Court of Honor, the ceremonial entrance designed to impress visitors as they arrived from the village. In the seventeenth century, this space was the threshold between the mundane world and the…

Descending into the lower levels of the palace, we find ourselves in a space dedicated to the broader history of the Sah-voy territories and the palace itself. One of the most fascinating objects here is a meticulously detailed…

We now enter perhaps the most iconic space in the entire Reggia: the Great Gallery, also known as the Galleria Grande. This is the crowning achievement of the architect Fee-lee-poh Joo-var-ah, commissioned in seventeen sixteen…

Adjacent to the Great Gallery stands the Chapel of Saint Hubert, another triumph of Fee-lee-poh Joo-var-ah’s architectural genius. Dedicated to the patron saint of hunters, this chapel served as the private place of worship for…

As we move toward the periphery of the palace complex, we reach the Royal Stables, or Scuderia. In the eighteenth century, the stables were a vital part of court life, responsible for the movement of the sovereign and the royal…

Stepping outside, we enter the expansive gardens of Venaria Reale. To understand the landscape before you, you must first imagine its total destruction. …

Descending further into the lower part of the park, the atmosphere changes. This area is less formal and more diverse, including orchards, vegetable gardens, and even groves of pear trees. …

As our tour of the Reggia di Venaria Reale comes to a close, let us reflect on the journey we have taken through time and space. We have moved from the early hunting ambitions of the seventeenth century, through the glittering…