The Royal Palace of Venaria Reale, in Italian “Reggia di Venaria Reale”, belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage List, as part of the Residences of Royal House of Savoy, located near Turin, in Italy.
Everything started when the duke of Savoy Emanuele Filiberto decided to move the capital to Turin in 1562: he gave the order to build a complex of residencial buildings to show to the entire Europe his power.
This residence is probably the largest one and was built by the architect Amedeo di Castellamonte in the period around 1658 – 1679. The complex is surrounded by the ancient town of Venaria, built following a logical system with a main road that leads to the main gate of the Royal Palace of Venaria Reale.
For sure, originally it was a place where first the dukes and then the kings were used to hunt: in fact some of the rooms remind this feature, with paintings and statues of Diana, the hunting goddess. Gardens and a wood complete the entire residence and cover an area of 80.000 square meters.
Inside the Royal Palace of Venaria Reale there’s also an exhibition of the history of the Royal House of Savoy from the beginning to the moment in which they started to set up the process of the unification of Italy and they become Italy’s kings.
Magnificient rooms such as “la Galleria Grande”,
la “Scalinata del tribunale”
are some of the top spots of the entire palace.
If it’s not as hot as that day, a walk in the gardens is really worth. In case of hot sunny days, umbrellas are provided in the main gate and this is good to protect you from the sun.
Actually part of the gardens are being renewed and made more beautiful. However you can visit the Fontana d’Ercole and the parterre. It is also nice to taste a drink or a coffee in one of the bars outside.
Another building is the Church of Sant’Uberto, with its red bricks, that breaks a bit the white theme of the palace, with a great chapel that deserves to be visited.
A tip that I would love to share is to observe the particular roof of the red building with green frames.
Prices:entire ticket 12 Euros, reduced entry 8 Euros.
How to get there:
- By car: Turin Northern Ring Road (Tangenziale Nord), exit: Venaria or Savonera/Venaria
- By bus: lines 11 and 72 from Turin
- By train: railway line Turin – Ceres
- From the airport: take the Expressway to Turin or the train ( Turin – Ceres railway line).
Where to sleep:
- Budget accomodation: I would pick Le Dimore di Diana, only 100 meters far from the palace. It costs around 80 Euros per double room per night. It is also pet-friendly. Breakfast included.
- Medium budget: an interesting place is for sure the Residence La Pera Bugiarda, that shows elegant studios. Located at just 20 meters from the palace, you will pay around 110 Euros per night per double room. Also pet-friendly and breakfast included.
- Luxury budget: not properly a luxurious hotel, but for sure the best you can find in Venaria is the Hotel Cascina di Corte, whose prices range is between 140 and 210 Euros per night per double room. Buffet breakfast included.
Travel tips:
The Reggia di Venaria Reale is a complex you cannot miss if you are visiting the old Italian capital Turin and its visit can last approximately 3 hours ( palace + gardens + church). So if you have enough time, you can spend a nice afternoon or half a day there.
Don’t miss this great example of the wonderful off the beaten path Italy! 🙂
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