Piazza Castello

Piazza Castello is the heart of the historical center of Turin, where the four main axes of the city converge – Via Garibaldi, Via Po, Via Roma and Via Pietro Micca.

SHORT HISTORY OF PIAZZA CASTELLO

The square was born in the 1st century AD near the eastern entrance of the ancient Roman castrum of Julia Augusta Taurinorum.

With the consolidation of the Savoy state, and the movement of the capital from Chambéry to Turin in 1563, a vast project of modernization of the city began.

In 1583, Ascanio Vittozzi was called to design the shape of what will be the current square. The design envisaged an area of about 40,000 square meters.

The existing medieval castle in the center of the square was modernized in 1605 and connected to the Bishop’s Palace by a wall. The wall was demolished in the early 19th century, during the Napoleonic occupation.

Ascanio Vitozzi died in 1615 and the direction of the works passed to Carlo di Castellamonte, who, in 1619, had the porticoes built on the southern side of the square, due to the opening of Via Nuova, the current Via Roma.

Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) was built starting with 1643, when Christine of France, the mother of Carlo Emanuele II of Savoy, comissioned the project to the architect Antonio Maurizio Valperga. The palace was modified between 1655 and 1658 by Carlo Morello.

Other important interventions in the square were carried out after the arrival in Turin of the architect Filippo Juvarra.

In 1716, Juvarra designed the western facade of Palazzo Madama for Maria Giovanna Battista of Savoy-Nemours, wife of Carlo Emanuele II of Savoy.

At the behest of Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia, Piazzetta Reale, located north of Piazza Castello, was closed by a cast iron gate, designed by Pelagio Palagi. In 1848, the two current bronze equestrian statues of Castor (left) and Pollux (right), both works by Abbondio Sangiorgio, were added to the gate.

In 1997, the square was partially closed to car traffic. The western and northern sides of Piazza Castello were therefore pedestrianised.

ARCHITECTURE OF PIAZZA CASTELLO

Piazza Castello houses at its center the architectural complex of Palazzo Madama and Casaforte degli Acaja, while the perimeter is made up of elegant porticoes, built in different eras.

In the northern side of the square, there is Palazzo della Prefettura-Armeria Reale (Royal Armoury), part of the large complex of Palazzo Reale.

In the eastern part of Piazza Castello, we can find Teatro Regio, inaugurated in 1740. The theater was destroyed by fire in February 1936, and rebuilt in modern forms after the Second World War.

In the southeastern corner of the square, there is Galleria Subalpina, built between 1873 and 1874 on a project by the architect Pietro Carrera.

In the southwestern corner of Piazza Castello, we can find Torre Littoria, built in 1933 during the Fascist period. 87 meters high, the tower was designed in Rationalist style by Armando Melis de Villa and Giovanni Bernocco.

In the western part of the square, there are two buildings at the entrance to Via Garibaldi. The building to the right was used by the Region of Piedmont, and was remodeled in the mid-18th century. The building on the left became the seat of the historical Hotel Trombetta, which housed the regional delegations for the Unification of Italy in 1861.

In the northwestern part of Piazza Castello, there is the Royal Church of San Lorenzo, built between 1668 and 1687 by Guarino Guarini.

TIP: If you want to admire the beautiful historical center of Turin, including Piazza Castello, and to learn about its history, you can take a guided tour.

HOW TO GET TO PIAZZA CASTELLO

Piazza Castello is located about 1.1 kilometers away from the Porta Nuova railway station, and about 1.8 kilometers away from the Porta Susa railway station.

The closest Metro station is Porta Nuova, on the Metro Line M1.

The closest bus and tram stop is Castello, located in the square, 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.