Dripping with gold a royal boat, richly decorated ceremonial carriages looking more like Faberge’ eggs, than vehicles, all these masterpieces are exposed in the scenery of the Reggia of Venaria Reale near Turin. On the occasion of visiting the Baroque residence I watched two interesting exhibitions: Carrozze Regali (Royal Carriages) and La Barca Sublime (The Sublime Boat) which perfectly demonstrate rich and splendor life of the Royal House of Savoy.
The Reggia of Venaria Reale. In the past one of many summer residence of the Royal House of Savoy, a place dedicated to pleasure, hunting and a court life. Today it’s a huge complex consisting of a monumental palace, well maintained French formal gardens and the La Mandria park that covers 6 000 hectares of land and with 30 km of wall it is the biggest Europe fenced park. The Reggia dazzles with splendor and glamour. It’s a perfect example of Baroque style, rich of decorations like frescoes, stuccos and extraordinary details. The complex attracts with opened spaces and with numerous exhibitions. You can spend your time walking around garden beds or relaxing in one of cafes and bars. The residence is situated on the border of the borgo Venaria Reale, only 10 km from Turin city centre and 15 km from Turin airport (Torino Caselle).
Pollenzo is a tiny town near Bra, 14 km from Alba in the Southern Piedmont. Once it was one of numerous Sabaudian residence, presently it’s one of the most important gastronomic centers in Europe. When for the first time I saw buildings in red brick gathered together in one place I had an impression to be in a land of gingerbread houses…
Piedmont is famous not only for beautiful landscapes, fabulous food and great wines, but also for many royal residences left by the Savoy dynasty. The castle of Aglie’, situated in Canavese region, in the north of Piedmont, is an example.
