THE HOUSE OF SAVOY INVITES

Take your cue from the Savoys and escape to two former royal hideouts on a full-day excursion from Turin. Your private guide and chauffeur will meet you at your hotel and drive you to Venaria Reale. Here you will spend the morning marvelling at the sheer opulence of the Royal Palace, the former residence of the rulers of the House of Savoy, and lingering along the paths of its carefully manicured gardens.

The mansion was originally built in the second half of the 17th century as a base for Duke Charles Emmanuel II’s princely pastime. As the word Venaria reveals – deriving from the Latin term Venatio, meaning hunt – this stately home served as a hunting lodge for the duke’s expeditions in the woods north of Turin. Court architect Amedeo di Castellamonte was entrusted with the task of drawing up the plans for a grandiose estate. His project included a sumptuous palace, an extensive park, a hunting ground as well as an entire village where court dignitaries, officers, farmers and artisans could find accommodation. But this modest arrangement evidently fell short of the family’s aspirations and the duke’s successors redesigned the complex, which was then enlarged with pavilions and stables, festooned with finely carved stucco mouldings, decorated with sculptures and paintings, becoming the jewel of the Savoy rulers’ richly embellished Corona di Delizie.

Indeed Turin is surrounded by a number of remarkable royal palaces belonging to a single architectural and urban plan that aims to create an ideal frame around the city. The mansions have always been known collectively as the Crown of Delights of the House of Savoy and refer to a group of luxury country retreats, built between the 16th and 18th centuries, that doubled as administrative headquarters for the ruling class.

Your guide will lead you through the halls of this UNESCO-listed palazzo and enrich your experience with tales and intriguing anecdotes about some of Italy’s prime movers, those who made and changed the course of its history. Your visit begins with a tour of the basement, once used as kitchens, service rooms and storage, and today the site of a permanent exhibition on the Savoys. Here you will learn about the genealogy of the family, from its somewhat fanciful, legendary 10th century origins to the early 19th century, when the main branch became extinct. You will then head upstairs to the Piano Nobile to gain a fascinating glimpse of courtly life as you wander through the exquisitely decorated royal apartments. Here you will also witness the significant contribution of Baroque star Filippo Juvarra to the building’s greatest masterpieces: the Great Gallery and the Chapel of St. Hubert are among the major achievements of 17th century northern Italian architecture.

The neighbouring garden, with its geometric parterres, colourful flower beds and rose pergola, provides a magnificent backdrop to the palazzo. After a leisurely stroll through this peaceful oasis you may enjoy some free time for lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Rejoin your driver in the early afternoon and set off for the Basilica of Superga, another of the Savoys’ favourite haunts. Perched atop a hill, 627 metres above sea level, this church was built in consequence of a vow. On September 2, 1706, while the French troops of Louis XIV were besieging Turin, the desperate Duke of Savoy Victor Amadeus II, fearing imminent defeat climbed to the top of the Superga hill to get a better view of the battlefield from above. Here, inside a chapel, he invoked the Virgin Mary, promising to build a church in her honour, on that very spot, should Piedmont gain victory and reclaim its independence. The duke’s prayers were answered and five days later the Piedmontese army, although outnumbered by the invaders, miraculously emerged triumphant from the conflict.

The construction of the Basilica lasted from 1717 to 1731. Under the supervision of master Juvarra, the existing chapel was torn down, the Superga hill was lowered by forty metres and a splendid basilica erected. This is the monument you see today and it is here that members of the Savoy household were finally laid to rest. You will visit the church, the apartments where the Savoys stayed on their brief retreats to Superga and the underground crypt with the marble royal tombs. A flight of 131 steps will take you up to the dome’s external balcony, and amply repays your effort with sweeping views of Turin and the surrounding landscape, stretching all the way to the Alps.

After the tour your private chauffeur will drive you back to your hotel in Turin.