Stupinigi (; ) is a (hamlet/borough) of the (municipality) of

Nichelino Nichelino () is a (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about southwest of Turin. Nichelino borders the following municipalities: Turin, Orbassano, Beinasco, Moncalieri, Candiolo, and Vi ...

, in the

Metropolitan City of Turin The Metropolitan City of Turin (; Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ''sità metropolitan-a 'd Turin'') is a Metropolitan cities of Italy, metropolitan city in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Turin. It replaced the prov ...

(

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

, north-west

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

). It has a population of about 200. It borders the of Candiolo and

Orbassano Orbassano (; ) is a (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southwest of Turin. Orbassano borders the following municipalities: Turin, Rivoli, Rivalta di Torino, Beinasco, Nichelino, Volve ...

on the southwestern outskirts of

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) 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 main ...

, about 10 km from the centre of the city. Before 1869, it formed part of the of Vinovo. Stupinigi is known for the eighteenth-century , one of the historical

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

, for the medieval castle (), and for the associated park and

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

().

History and landmarks

Historically Stupinigi centres on the : a medieval castle which belonged to the , a branch of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

who until 1416 were of Piedmont—a much smaller territory than the present-day region—and briefly Princes of Achaia. In 1439, the castle was purchased by the Marquis Orlando Pallavicino (, "the Magnificent"); in 1563 it passed to the Duke of Savoy, Emmanuel Philibert, when the capital of the Duchy was transferred from

Chambéry Chambéry (, , ; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Savoie Departments of France, department in the southeastern ...

to Turin. Subsequently, Emmanuel Philibert granted Stupinigi to the

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus () (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the world, tracing its lineage to AD 1098, a ...

Exterior of the Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi

The , a hunting lodge built on the grand scale, was designed by the architect

Filippo Juvarra Filippo Juvarra (7 March 1678 – 31 January 1736) was an Italian architect, scenographer, engraver and goldsmith. He was active in a late-Baroque architecture style, working primarily in Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Biography Juvarra was born ...

for Victor Amadeus in the latter's role as Grand Master General of the order. Work started on the building in 1729 and two years later it was ready to play host to its first hunt. In 1832 ownership of the Palazzina passed to the royal family, in 1919 it became a property of the state and in 1925 it was returned to the Order, which retains it to this day. The park, today the , which covers an area of woods and agricultural land in Stupinigi, Candiolo and Orbassano, was declared a nature reserve in 1991. There have been no

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

here since the nineteenth century, but it provides a sanctuary for rare plant species and for wildlife. The first reported introduction of grey squirrels in continental Europe occurred in 1948, when they were taken to Stupinigi, where there is still a growing population.Bertolino, S. & Piero, G. (2003) Spread and attempted eradication of the grey squirrel (Sciurus caolinensis) in Italy, and consequences for the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) in Eurasia. Biological Conservation, 351-358

References

Frazioni of the Metropolitan City of Turin Cities and towns in Piedmont {{Turin-geo-stub