The Great Gallery and the gardens
About ten kilometres north west of Turin, the Reggia di Venaria Reale is one of the largest royal residences in the world and the jewel of the UNESCO site of the Savoy Residences. It was built from 1658 by Duke Charles Emmanuel II as a hunting lodge, "venaria" comes from the Latin for hunting, and was enlarged in the eighteenth century by Filippo Juvarra and other architects into a palace that wanted to rival Versailles, together with the baroque village of Venaria, designed as its backdrop.
After a long decline, when it was used as barracks, the palace was the subject of one of the largest restoration projects in Europe and reopened in 2007. Its masterpiece is the Galleria Grande, designed by Juvarra, an immense hall about 80 metres long, flooded with light from huge windows, with a floor of black and white marble and white stucco decorations, one of the most beautiful spaces of European baroque. Next to it are the Church of Sant'Uberto, also by Juvarra, the Great Stables and the royal apartments. Behind the palace stretch the gardens, about 80 hectares, with avenues, fountains, a vegetable garden, a rose garden and contemporary art installations by Giuseppe Penone. The Reggia hosts important exhibitions and, in the nearby park of La Mandria, the Castle of La Mandria, the residence of Victor Emmanuel II.
Tip: allow a whole day for the palace and the gardens; in summer, the gardens host evening events and the "Fountain of the Stag" shows.
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