The Residences of the Royal House of Savoy are a group of buildings in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) 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 ...

and the

Metropolitan City of Turin The Metropolitan City of Turin ( it, Città metropolitana di Torino, Piedmontese: ''Sità metropolitan-a 'd Turin'') is a metropolitan city in the Piedmont region, Italy. Its capital is the city of Turin. It replaced the Province of Turin and ...

, in

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

(

northern Italy Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative region ...

). It was added to the UNESCO

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

s list in 1997.

History

The

House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

is an ancient royal family, being founded in year 1003 in the

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Sa ...

region (now in Rhône-Alpes, France), later expanding so that by 1720 it reigned over the Kingdom of Sardinia in northwestern Italy. Through its junior branch, the House of Savoy-Carignano, it led the unification of Italy in 1861 and ruled the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...

from 1861 until the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. At this time, King Victor Emanuel III abdicated in favour of his son

Umberto II en, Albert Nicholas Thomas John Maria of Savoy , house = Savoy , father = Victor Emmanuel III of Italy , mother = Princess Elena of Montenegro , birth_date = , birth_place = Racconigi, Piedmont, Kingdom of Italy , de ...

but after an institutional referendum in 1946, the monarchy was abolished, a republic was established, and members of the House of Savoy were required to leave the country. In 1562, Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy moved his capital to Turin and commenced a series of building projects using the best architects available at the time. The buildings, lavishly constructed and including embellishments by contemporary artists, were designed to impress the public and demonstrate the power of the House of Savoy. As well as palaces in Turin itself, country houses and

hunting lodges Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, e ...

were built in the surrounding countryside. All these buildings have been jointly listed as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

on the basis that they "represent the best in European monumental architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries, expressing in their style and opulence a potent demonstration of the power of absolute monarchy in material terms". File:PalazzoRealeNotteTorino.jpg,

Palazzo Reale This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa * Abdin Palace, Cairo * Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo * Koubbeh Palace, Cairo * Tahra Palace, Cairo * Menelik Palace * Jubilee Palace * Guenete Leul Palace * Imperial Palace- Mas ...

(Royal Palace) in Turin. File:Castellogovone2.JPG, Castle of Govone. File:Luce di fine settembre su Palazzo Madama, Torino.jpg, Palazzo Madama in Turin File:Torino Palazzo Carignano Esterno 2.jpg, Palazzo Carignano File:Torino - Castello del Valentino - panoramio.jpg, Castello del Valentino File:Villa della Regina, Torino, Dall’alto.jpeg, Villa della Regina File:Nichelino, palazzina di caccia di Stupinigi (08).jpg,

Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi The Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi (Italian: "The hunting residence of Stupinigi") is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy in northern Italy, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. Built as a royal hunting lodge in the ea ...

File:GalleriaGrandeVenaria.jpg, Palace of Venaria File:ParcoMandria BorgoCastello retro.jpg, Castle of La Mandria File:CastelloRivoli.JPG, alt=Castle of Rivolo,

Castle of Rivoli The Castle of Rivoli is a former Residence of the Royal House of Savoy in Rivoli (Metropolitan City of Turin, Italy). It is currently home to the Castello di Rivoli – Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, the museum of contemporary art of Turin. In 19 ...

File:Agliè castello.JPG, Castle of Agliè File:Castello di Moncalieri.JPG,

Castle of Moncalieri The Castle of Moncalieri is a palace in Moncalieri (Metropolitan City of Turin), 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. History The first structu ...

File:Castello di Racconigi.jpg,

Castle of Racconigi 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 U ...

File:Pollenzo-castello2.jpg, Castle of Pollenzo

Residences

*In

: **

** Palazzo Madama ** Palazzo Carignano ** Castello del Valentino ** Villa della Regina *In Metropolitan City of Turin ** Palazzina di Stupinigi ** Reggia di Venaria Reale ** Castle of La Mandria **

*In

**Castle of

Agliè Agliè (Piedmontese: ''Ajé'') is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about north of Turin. Agliè borders the following municipalities: San Martino Canavese, Torre Canavese, ...

** Pollenzo Estate **Castle of Govone

References

External links

UNESCO.org: Residences of the Royal House of Savoy World Heritage Site
{{World Heritage Sites in Italy Duchy of Savoy House of Savoy Palaces in Piedmont Royal residences in Italy Buildings and structures in Turin Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan City of Turin Buildings and structures in the Province of Cuneo World Heritage Sites in Italy

History

Residences

See also

References

External links