ITA | ENG

The Royal Apartments of Vittorio Emanuele II

The Royal Apartment at La Mandria is the central fulcrum of the buildings that make up Borgo Castello. In particular, it occupies the façade facing towards the Reggia di Venaria Reale, with which it partially shared historical events until 1862. This is the year in which Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy, king from 1849, expressed his wish to add the estate of Regia Mandria della Venaria Reale to his private patrimony, which was already part of the royal endowment. The king’s idea was to establish a stately park that would give rise to the establishment of a “grande, or “Great” Mandria. The transfer deed to the private patrimony of Vittorio Emanuele II was signed on the May 9, 1863.

Already during the course of 1859, the king had decided to settle with Rosa Vercellana in the Castle at La Mandria. At the time she was the countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda. From here began the building works supervised by engineer Barnaba Panizza.

The succession of Umberto I to the throne marked the detachment of the Royal Household from La Mandria, which was sold to marquis Luigi Medici del Vascello between 1882 and 1887.

The Medici del Vascello used the ground floor, the mezzanines and the second floor of the Castle as their private residence, while the Royal Apartment on the ‘piano nobile’ floor was used as guest quarters for important visitors such as the Dukes of Aosta, who stayed here from 1895 to 1898, as well as the princes of Edinburgh and others who participated in the numerous hunts.

The apartment, which is accessible via a staircase, was organised into two “private” zones, one dedicated to the king and the other one to Rosa Vercellana. It was sectioned off into areas according to court activities. In the latter areas we can still see evidence of the taste and layout of the furniture and works of art of the residence’s first owners.

The 15 rooms are characterised by precious collections that bear witness to the eclectic taste of the second half of the 19th century, owing to the restoration work implemented by Architect and Decorator of the Royal Palaces, Domenico Ferri. The choices of the artists and artisans appointed to create a living space that might be more suited to the king’s private interests are owing to him.

Over the years there has been a significant cataloguing campaign of the various items present in the apartments and in the storerooms, thus giving life to an important restoration and refurbishing project, with respect for the history and culture represented by the same. Among these is the hypothesis of making Vittorio Emanuele II’s original bedroom part of the viewing tour. It is currently stored within the deposits of the Royal Palace (Palazzo Reale) in Turin, and a precise description of it is given in the inventory dating back to 1879 and recalled, in part, as follows: “in sweet wood sculpted into trunks and branches and leaves […] with the centre of the headboard [of the bed] featuring two doves feeding each other, lower down there is a domestic squirrel, on the left hand edge a cat with a lizard in its mouth, on the right hand side an owl and on the headboard again a bird […] all of which are sculpted and painted”.