This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)

The Cavour di Santena Castle was built between 1712 and 1720, by the court architect Francesco Gallo, and was renovated in the second half of the XIX century.
The original plan included the cellar, a noble floor with a mezzanine level, with the living room in the centre, a second floor with a long balcony and a third floor on the sides of the building.
In 1876, the central body was built and embellished with naturalistic decorations on its façade.

The front of the castle, overlooking the English park, retains the hall featuring two parallel ramps which give access to the main floor. To the left of the building, there’s a gallery – at the same level of the noble floor – leading to the ancient castle area (completely remodelled in the XVIII century); on the opposite side, it leads to the splendid Diplomatic Hall, 65-ft long, where Cavour’s political meetings used to be held.

Another interesting element is the “Torre dei Benso”, as well as the crypt under the family chapel, where Camillo Benso di Cavour was buried – it’s a national monument embellished with Doric granite columns and black marble panels on the walls.
Camillo Cavour was very keen on agriculture and he also introduced innovations and reorganizations in the Piedmont Region which boosted the development of a network of beautiful residences and estates: the result was the so-called “Corona di Delizie” (“the “Crown of delights”) – a series of abodes where great artists worked on the further development of this area.
Among them, the architect Xavier Kurten designed, for instance, the park of Cavour Castle, embellishing it with numerous plant species.

Today it is a house-museum that recalls the figure of Camillo Benso as a testament to the lifestyle of the noble classes during the House of Savoy rule.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)