The models of elegant and noble uniformity preferred by the Savoys canceled most of the Roman, medieval and Renaissance testimonies of Turin; however, the Roman entrance to the city, Porta Palatina, still stands with statues of Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar flanking it like sentinels. Recent excavations have uncovered Roman theater remains under the site of the Museo dell'Antichitŕ.
Not far away, the majestic Palazzo Madama - modeled on Versailles and deliberately facing France - commands Piazza Castello and is the scenographic heart of the city. The eighteenth-century architect, Juvarra, transformed the former castello (a castle had been built on this site in 1400) into one of the most grandiose of European royal residences, modeled on the architectural styles preferred by the French royal family and nobility.
In the nearby 18th-century royal apartments of the Palazzo Reale, massive crystal chandeliers hang from frescoed and stuccoed ceilings, illuminating the gilded carvings framing doors and windows, the superb Chinese lacquer work, the velvet draperies and wood inlay floors. The magnificent interior of the nearby Biblioteca Reale (Royal Library) houses treasures worthy of the setting, including 4,000 illuminated manuscripts and drawings of Leonardo da Vinci. Even the access to the Royal Armory exudes finery and elegance: a polychromatic marble staircase winds upwards beneath an elaborate stuccoed ceiling.
Rate and comment
