Castle of Racconigi

Last updated
Royal Castle of Racconigi
Castello Reale di Racconigi
Castello di Racconigi.jpg
Southern façade of the castle
Italy Piemonte location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Castle of Racconigi
Location within Piedmont
Italy provincial location map 2016.svg
Red pog.svg
Castle of Racconigi
Castle of Racconigi (Italy)
General information
Coordinates 44°46′09.8″N7°40′33.5″E / 44.769389°N 7.675972°E / 44.769389; 7.675972
Criteria (i)(ii)(iv)(v)
Reference 823bis
Inscription1997 (21st Session)

The Royal Castle of Racconigi is a palace and landscape park in Racconigi, province of Cuneo, Italy. It was the official residence of the Carignano line of the House of Savoy, and is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy included by UNESCO in the World Heritage Sites list. [1]

Contents

History

The first records of the castle are from around the year 1000, when Bernardino of Susa rebuilt an ancient manor, leaving it to Cistercian monks.

The castle was a possession of the margraves of Saluzzo and others starting in the 13th century, and in the 16th century was acquired by the House of Savoy. In 1630, Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy granted it to his nephew Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano, founder of the Savoy-Carignano line. At this time, the castle was a high brick moated fortress with a square plan, four corner towers and a tall donjon (mastio) on one side.

Architecture

Emmanuel Philibert, Prince of Carignano, Tommaso's son, in the late 17th century, commissioned Guarino Guarini to transform the fortress into a pleasure residence. The architect erected the current central section where the court was, adding a pagoda-like roof. The two northern towers were replaced by pavilions with dome roofs and square plans, provided with white marble lanterns. The gardens were also created.

In the late 18th century, Louis Victor, Prince of Carignano ordered a renovation of the interiors, enlarging the two southern towers, adding stucco and other neoclassical decoration; he also commissioned a new entrance, with 4 Corinthian columns and a triangular fronton, and the great staircase.

Park with the big lake Grande lago e castello.jpg
Park with the big lake

Charles Albert, a Carignano who eventually became King of Sardinia, further enlarged and embellished the castle to represent the splendour of the newly acquired reign. His court architect Ernesto Melano expanded the ancient square structure around the central section and added two side buildings connected to the façade pavilions, as well as another staircase on the southern side.

Here the last King of Italy, Umberto II, was born in 1904. Having received the castle as a wedding present in 1930, he proceeded to install in it the family gallery of some 3,000 paintings and historical documents regarding the Shroud of Turin.

Landscape park

Emmanuel Philibert created a wide park in the jardin à la française style that opens for the castle's northwards view. It was designed by the renowned 17th-century French landscape architect André Le Nôtre, known for designing the gardens of Versailles.

In the late 18th century the English landscape garden style was introduced, Pelagio Palagi erected a series of small structures along the lake; such as the Doric Tempietto, the Gothic style chapel, and other landscape elements. A Russian dacha, built to honour Tsar Nicholas II of Russia's visit to Piedmont to sign the Racconigi Bargain, was also created in the landscape park.

The one hundred and seventy hectares of parkland were given its current design by the German Xavier Kurten, who gave the setting a romantic touch: lakes, canals, bridges, caves, picturesque buildings and old trees populated by several species of birds, including a large colony of storks. [2]

At the far end of the park are the "Margherie" buildings, so called because they were originally used for the production of milk and cheese and as a dwelling for the shepherds. In the nineteenth century, in fact, as the new concept of country residence required, Racconigi intended to be a model farm and not just a royal castle and park. Therefore, a compromise was reached to create a functional and aesthetically appealing building. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Savoy</span> Royal dynasty of Southern Europe

The House of Savoy is an Italian royal house that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county northwest of Italy to absolute rule of the Kingdom of Sicily from 1713 to 1720, when they were handed the island of Sardinia, over which they would exercise direct rule from then onward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teatro Regio (Turin)</span> Opera house in Italy

The Teatro Regio is a prominent opera house and opera company in Turin, Piedmont, Italy. Its season runs from October to June with the presentation of eight or nine operas given from five to twelve performances of each.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi</span> Building

The Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy in the Metropolitan City of Turin in northern Italy, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. Built as a royal hunting lodge in the early 18th century, it is located in Stupinigi, a suburb of the town of Nichelino, 10 km (6 mi) southwest of Turin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Racconigi</span> Comune in Piedmont, Italy

Racconigi is a town and comune (municipality) in Piedmont, Italy. It is located in the province of Cuneo, 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Turin, and 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Cuneo by rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Residences of the Royal House of Savoy</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in Piedmont, Italy

The Residences of the Royal House of Savoy are a group of buildings in Turin and the Metropolitan City of Turin, in Piedmont. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palazzo Madama, Turin</span> Palace in Turin, Italy

Palazzo Madama e Casaforte degli Acaja is a palace in Turin, Piedmont. It was the first Senate of the Kingdom of Italy, and takes its traditional name from the embellishments it received under two queens (madama) of the House of Savoy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rivoli Castle</span> Castle in Rivoly, Metropolitan City of Turin, Italy

The Rivoli Castle is a former Residence of the Royal House of Savoy in Rivoli. It is currently home to the Castello di Rivoli – Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, the museum of contemporary art of Turin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castello del Valentino</span> Building in Turin, Italy

The Valentino Castle is a historic building in the northwestern Italian city of Turin. It is located in Parco del Valentino, and is the seat of the Architecture Faculty of the Polytechnic University of Turin. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moncalieri Castle</span> Building in Moncalieri, Italy

The Castle of Moncalieri is a palace in Moncalieri, Piedmont, in northern Italy. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in 1997.

Stupinigi is a frazione (hamlet/borough) of the comune (municipality) of Nichelino, in the Metropolitan City of Turin. It has a population of about 200. It borders the comuni of Candiolo and Orbassano on the southwestern outskirts of Turin, about 10 km from the centre of the city. Before 1869, it formed part of the comune of Vinovo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Superga</span> Church in Italy

The Basilica of Superga is a hilltop Catholic basilica in Superga, in the vicinity of Turin, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Palace of Turin</span> Building in Turin, Italy

The Royal Palace of Turin is a historic palace of the House of Savoy in the city of Turin in Northern Italy. It was originally built in the 16th century and was later modernized by Christine Marie of France (1606–1663) in the 17th century, with designs by the Baroque architect Filippo Juvarra. The palace also includes the Palazzo Chiablese and the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, the latter of which was built to house the famous Shroud of Turin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French Renaissance architecture</span> Style of French architecture

French Renaissance architecture is a style which was prominent between the late 15th and early 17th centuries in the Kingdom of France. It succeeded French Gothic architecture. The style was originally imported from Italy after the Hundred Years' War by the French kings Charles VII, Louis XI, Charles VIII, Louis XII and François I. Several notable royal châteaux in this style were built in the Loire Valley, notably the Château de Montsoreau, the Château de Langeais, the Château d'Amboise, the Château de Blois, the Château de Gaillon and the Château de Chambord, as well as, closer to Paris, the Château de Fontainebleau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palazzo Carignano</span> Historical building in the centre of Turin, Italy

Palazzo Carignano is a historical building in the centre of Turin, Italy, which houses the Museum of the Risorgimento. It was a private residence of the Princes of Carignano, after whom it is named. Its rounded façade is different from other façades of the same structure. It is located on the Via Accademia delle Scienze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palace of Venaria</span> Former royal residence in Italy

The Palace of Venaria is a former royal residence and gardens located in Venaria Reale, near the city of Turin in the Piedmont region in northern Italy. It is one of the 14 Residences of the Royal House of Savoy built in the area between the 16th and 18th centuries which were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turin</span> City in Piedmont, Italy

Turin is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is mainly on the western bank of the Po River, below its Susa Valley, and is surrounded by the western Alpine arch and Superga hill. The population of the city proper is 843,514, while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 1.7 million inhabitants. The Turin metropolitan area is estimated by the OECD to have a population of 2.2 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Villa della Regina</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in Piedmont, Italy

The Villa della Regina is a palace in the city of Turin, Piedmont, Italy. It was originally built by the House of Savoy in the 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmanuel Philibert, Prince of Carignano</span> Prince of Carignano

Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, 2nd Prince of Carignano, Prince of Carignano, was the son and heir of Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano. He constructed the Palazzo Carignano in Turin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Angela Caterina d'Este</span> Princess of Carignano

Maria Angela Caterina d'Este was an Italian-born Princess of Modena who was later the Princess of Carignano by marriage. She was the wife of Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, Prince of Carignano. In France she was known as Angélique Catherine d'Este and in Modena and Savoy she was known as Maria Caterina d'Este.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Mandria Regional Park</span> Park in Venaria Reale, Italy

La Mandria Regional Park is a park in the comuni of Venaria Reale and Druento, near Turin, northern Italy. Founded in 1978 by the regional council of Piedmont, it occupies a wide area between the Stura di Lanzo torrent and the north-western part of Turin and Venaria.

References

  1. Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Residences of the Royal House of Savoy".
  2. AA.VV. (2015). Torino, la Reggia di Venaria e le Residenze Reali del Piemonte. Torino: Opera SpA. pp. 66–71.
  3. Macera, Mirella (2006). Real parco di Racconigi - Il sistema delle acque. Torino: Allemandi. pp. 5–10.