PIAZZA CASTELLO Tour

2:32

Continuing on our rounds of Piazza Castello, go to the beautiful 19th century gate that divides the square from the Royal Palace, behind whose sober façade you can see the dome of the Chapel of the Shroud of Turin.

Immediately after you'll see Palazzo Chiablese, which when seen from the square seems pretty bare, but if you admire it from the Cathedral on the other side of the entrance hall, you'll find both the exterior and the first floor's halls much more glitzy. The ground floor often welcomes beautiful exhibitions of ancient and modern art.

The Royal Palace Complex that extends from the wings of the Library and Armory reaches the arcade that closes the wing of the gardens. Walking along you'll reach the façade of Regio Theater. The 18th-century building was almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1936: some of its surviving parts are connected to the State archive's palace that's also from the 18th century. The current theater was reopened in 1973 and is a beautiful example of functional architecture, with excellent acoustics.

The beautiful Via Po begins here, which was traced in the second half of the 1600s; like a rich aristocratic scene, it diagonally divides the quarter and is one of the few exceptions in a city where the streets almost always intersect at right angles! With its symmetrical buildings with porticoes, the street takes you toward the river and finishes in the large Vittorio Veneto Square.

Continuing our tour of Piazza Castello, pass in front of the rear façade of Palazzo Madama, which has kept its appearance of a 15th century castle with brick towers and Gothic windows. It is surrounded by large bronze monuments that remind us of the Savoy's Army Corps.

The side of the square to the right of Via Po is the most lively, and offers many cafes and shops where you can take a nice break. An elegant nineteenth-century tunnel connects the square with one side of Palazzo Carignano. At the opposite end of the square you can see a skyscraper, which is the only unmatched part of the square compared to the rest of its ambiance and proportions: it was built with the typical Italian rationalist style of the 1930s.

 

FUN FACT: Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy gave Palazzo Chiablese to his mistress, Beatrice Langosco. The legend says that the Duke would frequently visit her father, who was the Grand Chancellor of the Savoys, to bring him documents to be studied. And while her father studied, the Duke would pass his time with the beautiful Beatrice.

TravelMate consiglia
Scegli l'opzione
che fa al caso tuo
Buy Turin
Permanently unlock the app with all content of Turin for
€ 8,99
Buy
Promotion
Unlock audio content of all available cities for 3 years at the promotional price
€ 19,99
Buy
Da non perdere
TURIN INTRODUCTION
1 Audio

TURIN INTRODUCTION

You can savor this atmosphere of days gone by in the city’s elegant historical cafés, sipping a bicerin, an espresso with chocolate served in a small glass, or taking a stroll through the...
THE WONDERS OF LOCAL CUISINE
1 Audio

THE WONDERS OF LOCAL CUISINE

Let’s begin with the starters. The most famous is vitel tonné, a cold veal roast served with a mayonnaise and tuna sauce. Local menus also feature albese, extra-thin slices of raw beef...
CATHEDRAL
4 Audio

CATHEDRAL

As you can see, it is a Renaissance-style church, as it has almost entirely kept the same appearance since it was built at the end of the 1400s. But just think, the land it's built on has been home to...
MOLE ANTONELLIANA
5 Audio

MOLE ANTONELLIANA

From most of the city panorama viewpoints, it's the first thing you'll notice: a reinforced concrete and steel beam tower with a strange shape that dominates the center of Turin.The architect...
PIAZZA CASTELLO
3 Audio

PIAZZA CASTELLO

This huge square that's full of monuments and is always buzzing is not only the geometric center of Turin: its also and above all the stage where the city has acted out many pages of its history.The...
EGYPTIAN MUSEUM
5 Audio

EGYPTIAN MUSEUM

This museum has one of the most important collections of Egyptian art in the world, it's second only to the one in Cairo!You should know that this collection was started almost three centuries ago...
VALENTINO
3 Audio

VALENTINO

The Valentino complex offers one of the most beautiful strolls in Turin!As you may have guessed, Turin lives and breathes along the Po River. The great river is the longest in Italy and is also the...
POLO REALE
7 Audio

POLO REALE

The Museum Complex includes the Royal Palace, Library, Royal Armory, Sabauda Gallery, the Museum of Antiquities, Palazzo Chiablese and the Chapel of the Shroud of Turin that's connected to the...
VENARIA REALE
4 Audio

VENARIA REALE

Did you know that some of the castles and palaces in Turin's surroundings have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage list? One of these is the Palace of Venaria Reale, which after a long decline...
SUPERGA BASILICA
1 Audio

SUPERGA BASILICA

From the hill of Superga, you can enjoy the most beautiful panorama of Turin!The basilica in front of you is the result of a votive: Victor Amadeus of Savoy promised that if he had won the battle...
SABAUDA GALLERY
6 Audio

SABAUDA GALLERY

The museum you can visit today is the accumulation of the House of Savoy's collections, which was further enriched in the 1900s by donations and purchases.Like the Library, Charles Albert also...
PIAZZA SAN CARLO
1 Audio

PIAZZA SAN CARLO

The Savoy dynasty is linked to France for various historical reasons; Turin's many monuments and urban characteristics reflect French taste, especially in the Baroque age. If you've been to Paris it...
ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM
4 Audio

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

Even if it might make you laugh, the Museum of Antiquities is fairly new! It was formed just 80 years ago, when the findings that are now collected in this museum were permanently separated from those...
PALAZZO CARIGNANO
2 Audio

PALAZZO CARIGNANO

Built in only six years for Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Palazzo Carignano is the civil engineering masterpiece of Guarino Guarini. Originally from Modena, you should know that Guarini was a Theatine...
TravelMate App
DOWNLOAD NOW
THE TRAVELMATE APP
Purchase your activation code, download the TravelMate App, and turn your smartphone into your personal travel companion!
Listen to audio guides about the wonders of the world with TravelMate.
HAVE FUN!