Palazzo Carignano

Palazzo Carignano is a large palace in Turin, located between Piazza Carignano and Piazza Carlo Alberto, in the historical center of the city.

Together with Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) and Palazzo Madama, Palazzo Carignano was placed in 1997 on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy.

Today, the palace houses on the ground floor the offices of the regional directorate of the museums of Piedmont, and on the noble floor the National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento (Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano).

SHORT HISTORY OF PALAZZO CARIGNANO

Palazzo Carignano was commissioned by Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, Prince of Carignano, to the architect Guarino Guarini, one of the greatest exponents of Piedmontese Baroque.

The work began in 1679, under the direction of Guarini’s collaborator, Gian Francesco Baroncelli, and was completed in 1685.

In 1831, Carlo Alberto became the King of Sardinia, and the palace was ceded to the State Property, which housed here the Council of State and the Post Office.

Starting with 1848, the palace was used as the seat of the Chamber of Deputies of the Subalpine Parliament. On this occasion, the architect Carlo Sada modified the splendid ballroom, located inside the elliptical body of the facade overlooking Piazza Carignano.

In 1861, with the opening of the first Italian Parliament, the hall was too small and the building was extended to the west. The project was entrusted to the architect Domenico Ferri and the execution to Giuseppe Bollati.

The work began in 1863 and was completed in 1871, but after the transfer of the capital to Florence in 1864, the large hall remained unused.

ARCHITECTURE OF PALAZZO CARIGNANO

Palazzo Carignano consists of two bodies, one from the 17th century, overlooking Piazza Carignano, and the other from the 19th century, oriented towards Piazza Carlo Alberto.

The 17th-century body, the work of Guarino Guarini, consists of two wings, one towards the north, called di Mezzanotte (of Midnight), and the other towards the south, called di Mezzogiorno (of Noon). The facade of the 17th century body is almost entirely in terracotta, alternating beautiful concave and convex shapes.

The 19th-century body has an imposing facade in an eclectic pseudo-Renaissance style.

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE ITALIAN RISORGIMENTO

The National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento is the oldest and the most important museum in Italy dedicated to the Italian Risorgimento (Italian Revival), a period during which the political Unification of the country took place.

The museum exhibits various weapons, banners, uniforms, printed documents and manuscripts, and figurative works.

The place of honor is certainly represented by the Chamber of Deputies of the Subalpine Parliament, a national monument since 1898, and the only original example in the world of a parliamentary hall established after the revolutions of 1848.

HOW TO GET TO PALAZZO CARIGNANO

Palazzo Carignano is located about 900 meters away from the Porta Nuova railway station, and about 1.6 kilometers away from the Porta Susa railway station.

The closest bus and tram stop is Castello, located in Piazza Castello, about 130 meters away, on the tram Lines 13 and 15, and on the bus Lines 4 ROSSO, 13 Navetta, 15 ROSA, 55, 56, N10, S04, Venaria Express, W01 and W60.