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The Royal Castle of Moncalieri dates back to the 1600 century and is the result of the expansion of a medieval fortress and of several construction phases which, year after year, have changed its appearance; the façade, for example, set between two quadrangular baroque towers, has been fitted with two medieval round towers, another similar structure and a crenellated door.

Its dominant position has always been vital for controlling in the surrounding territory.
During the French domination in 1798, the castle was also used as a hospital and a prison.
After its restoration, daily life inside the castle resumed and the building passed back to the Savoy family.

In the Fascist era, it became a major seat of representation and then it was occupied by the Nazis; it was eventually used as a refuge for displaced people left homeless.
Since 1948, the castle has housed the headquarters of the “Piedmont Battalion” of Carabinieri (Italian Military Police) and partly used as a permanent exhibition venue dedicated to Princess Maria Letizia.

The internal rooms are lavishly furnished and embellished with art masterpieces precious furniture.
The Royal Castle is one of the Savoy residences of Piedmont which have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997 – it’s in fact part of the so-called “Crown of Delights” (the Savoy family had magnificent residences built, flanking the power centre in Turin, with beautiful places of pleasure and entertainment along the rivers, on the hills and in the surrounding countryside. This castle, in particular, was used for recreation and hunting).

The garden

The garden is now made of an Italian part and an English park, extending over the hill for about 25 acres. Recent restoration works have recovered the original plants and some historical buildings, including the “Cavallerizza” (the largest of the Savoy residences covering 1.196-square yards), “Casa del Vignolante”, “Torre del Roccolo”, and the small lake full of water lilies.
The large Italian parterre, on the other hand, has not been entirely recovered as part of it is currently used by the Carabinieri as a shooting range.

Due to the current work in progress, the castle is temporarily closed to the public.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)