Juvarra's masterpiece with the stag on the roof
In the countryside south west of Turin, at Nichelino, the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi is perhaps the most beautiful of the Savoy residences and one of the most refined buildings of European rococo. It was designed in 1729 by Filippo Juvarra for King Victor Amadeus II as a hunting lodge, a place for royal hunts, parties and weddings, at the end of a long straight avenue from the city, surrounded by woods and farms.
Its plan is extraordinary: a central oval hall, from which four arms branch out in the shape of a St Andrew's cross, like the wings of a butterfly, creating an architecture of great lightness and movement. On top of the central dome stands the bronze statue of a stag, the symbol of hunting. Inside, the Salone Centrale, the great elliptical hall, two storeys high, is decorated with frescoes and trompe-l'oeil architecture by the Valeriani brothers, with a Triumph of Diana, the goddess of hunting, on the ceiling. The royal apartments, with Chinese wallpapers, painted furniture, chinoiserie and lacquers, recreate the atmosphere of court life. Napoleon stayed here in 1805, and the lodge was the residence of the young Queen Margherita. Part of the UNESCO site of the Savoy Residences, it houses the Museum of Furniture.
Tip: the lodge is reachable by bus from Turin; the park around is a nature reserve, pleasant for walks.
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