The Savoy residence and the Royal Armoury
For three centuries Turin was the capital of the Savoy dynasty, first dukes and then kings of Sardinia and, from 1861 to 1865, of Italy. Their main residence, the Palazzo Reale, overlooks Piazzetta Reale, behind Piazza Castello, and is the heart of the "Residences of the Royal House of Savoy", a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes palaces, castles and hunting lodges around the city.
Today the palace is part of the Musei Reali, a single complex that also includes the Armeria Reale, one of the richest collections of arms and armour in the world, with full armour for knights and horses displayed in the frescoed Galleria Beaumont; the Galleria Sabauda, an art gallery with masterpieces by Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Mantegna, Veronese, Botticelli and Fra Angelico; the Biblioteca Reale, which keeps the famous self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci in red chalk, shown only on special occasions; the Museum of Antiquities; and the Royal Gardens. The visit to the royal apartments passes through sumptuous rooms of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with gilded ceilings, Chinese cabinets, the throne room and the dance hall, and leads to the Chapel of the Holy Shroud.
Tip: the Musei Reali ticket includes all the sections; allow at least half a day. On the first Sunday of the month entry is free.
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