Chablais Palace

As Turin we are naturally born Bridgerton 😎this post is about Palazzo Chiablese or Chablais Palace where Queen Margarita of Savoy AKA the very first Queen of Italy - the one pizza was dedicated to - was born. 

Palazzo Chiablese or Chablais Palace is a wing of the complex of Royal Palace of Turin connected to our Romanesque Duomo, the Chapel hosting the Holy Shroud of Turin, the Saint Lawrence Church with its gorgeous Baroque dome, and the extension leading to the Royal Library and Teatro Regio aka Turin's Royal Theater and Opera House.

This architectural complex was built on the remains of some Medieval constructions and it was renovated following the projects of the royal architects starting in the late 1500s, when the King of Savoy aspired to create a European style capital with the modern wide spaces we can still admire today.

courtyard of Palazzo Chiablese

During the 1600s, the Chablais Palace hosted Cardinals and royal weddings; in 1753, ripping the Shondaland curl, it became the residence of a Savoy Prince: Benedict of Savoy, Duke of Chablais  or Chiablese. Historically, this is more in line with the Queen Charlotte spin off, but it still matches the ton

we see in Bridgerton 😁 and this is when this wing takes the current form. 

Because of the arrival of the French troops, in 1798, the Chablais Dukes fled Turin and in full Shondaland style, this royal residence hosted Paolina Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister.
The French spent about 10 years in Turin and luckily, they modernized rather than destroy our city. During these years, all the royal residences were used by Napoleon's family and, legend has it, that upon her arrival to Palazzo Chiablese, his sister, Paolina Bonaparte complained about the small size of the bathtub!

Chiablais Palace is a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1997

In 1814, Turin and the king of Savoy got back to power, Palazzo Chiablese went back to the Duchess of Chiablese and when King Carlo Felice (the one of the piazza by the Porta Nuova train + subway station) was in town, this is where he stayed, preferring it to the Royal Palace.

This is how in 1850, this wing was given to the King's son, Prince Ferdinand of Savoy, Duke of Genoa (for some Italian and Savoy historical facts click here), future father of Queen Margarita of Savoy, very first Queen of United Italy who was thus actually born in Palazzo Chiablese!

Since the 1753 renovation, the Chablais Palace has taken its current form but some minor transformations took place in 1850 when Queen Margherita's parents got married. Some furniture, decorations were updated and some rooms were repurposed. Over the years, more functional updates took place - consider that Palazzo Chiablese was inhabited by this branch of the Italian royal family up to 1940.

Unfortunately, during the WW2 bombings and fires, particularly in 1943 and 1944, some parts of this wing of the royal palace were severely damaged. In 1950, the Italian Government gained its property, more reconstruction and renovation works took place to allow part of this Palace to host the public offices and a school too! 

Up to 1995, the National Cinema Museum of Turin was here before being moved into Mole Antonelliana when the offices of the General Directorate for the scenery, fine arts, architecture and contemporary art or Department of Protection of Monuments, Environment and Historical Buildings were relocated here.

In recent years, more investments have been made to bring this royal wing back to its golden beauty so that everyone can admire them as a symbol of our local and national history, art and architecture.   

dressing table with mother of pearl inlay by Pietro Piffetti, 1767-8

During your visit you'll love how both materials and furniture are from the area and have been collected from different locations here in Piedmont to best recreate the royal atmosphere of this royal wing.

If you have already visited other royal residences and 18th century aristocratic palazzos in Turin, you will recognize some elements like the main staircase leading to the first floor where the royal apartments are located.

The entrance to this wing is on Piazza San Giovanni where the Turin's Duomo is located. The shroud of Turin is preserved inside the Duomo; both the church and Palazzo Chiablese share a wall with the Royal Palace. 

Palazzo Chiablese also shares a wall with the Baroque church of Saint Lawrence or Chiesa di San Lorenzo whose entrance is just outside Piazzetta Reale - the King's portion of Piazza Castello - castle square: the castle being Palazzo Madama.

statue of king Charles Felix, the one of Piazza Carlo Felice in Turin

The entrance of this wing is rather wide and past the columns, you reach two inner courtyards. Through some pictures taken in the early 1900s we could see how the original gilded stuccos of the early 1700s coexisted with the eclectic furniture of the Dukes of Genoa.

All the art you see in the Chablais Palace was made by the most famous artists and artisans of the Savoy Kingdom and Italy during the 1700s and 1800s.

The tapestries and many small pieces are originals from the 1600s and the1700s. The tapestries in the tapestry room were restored and are made of wool, silk and gold.

  

After the beginning of WW2, when the branch of the royal family residing here left Turin, they brought with them most of the original furniture; many parts of the building were destroyed and needed to be renovated and rebuilt. What we can visit and admire today is the result of a big research and restoration work to bring this princely residence back to almost its original splendors.

Looking around Piedmont in the many castles and royal residences, each piece you see was selected and it's now displayed here, at the Chablais Palace.

The ground floor of Palazzo Chiablese is today a museum that always hosts unique exhibits.

Check out your flights to TRN ✈our Turin airport, connected to many European cities.

Plan 5-7 days to get to know Turin and savor our Bridgerton style vida royal 👑 

Email 📧Lucia ➜ turinepi@gmail.com 

for your private walking tours, experiences, private classes,  travel planning, concierge, relocation, consulting services in person and online.

Savoy historical fun facts

For the next posts, embark with us on a glamorous and fascinating journey of pearls, architecture, fashion and mountain life around Turin and Piedmont. And to better share our bountiful local culture, we are taking a look at some fun facts of our local history and its influence on the rest of Southern Europe. 

chocolate and arcades are 2 symbols of Turin since the 1600s 

Turin Stocking Stuffers

Happy Saint Lucy's Day to all those who celebrate December 13th, including our very own Lucia of Turinepi!!

Besides Scandinavia and St Lucia, St Lucia's is a festive day in many parts of Italy where she brings the Christmas presents, leaving Santa just some small packages to fill up his stockings.

Originally from Syracuse, Sicily, during the Roman times, Lucia was persecuted and martyrized because she wouldn't renounce her faith. Her relics traveled to many places and because her name means light, her story finally merged with the Winter Solstice and this is how she make it up to Northern Europe where she's represented wearing a crown of candles and bringing light in the 'longest dark day of the year'.

If you can read Italian, enjoy our short story here.

Fiat 500 where the T stands for Torino

Whiskey risotto

We officially made it to the fall 🌰 and the Holiday season ✨ and as it is customary, we are sharing one of our risottos!

This one will make many people happy as it checks many boxes: gluten free, vegetarian and possibly vegan too, alcohol free so the kids and people on meds can enjoy it too 😋It can also be easily tweaked to fit your personal taste and the ingredients you have access to wherever you are based! So, feel free to modify accordingly if none of our suggestions work out for you.

in November the artichoke season starts in Piedmont: our risotto 

Italian gifts

Fall is really the new year in Italy as people get back in town, schools resume and with them all the Italian rites: dinners out, Sunday lunches at nonni's or parents', parties and presents.

Halloween's vibes in Turin

Italian (in)tangible identities

 Italians are renowned for being very friendly and welcoming people but are they really? 

at Pepino's enjoying a pinguino!

Italian geography

Geography inspires travels, daydreams by giving many clues about the people who live in far and away lands. And Italian geography is an integral part of Italian culture and language because as all students of Italian 101 learn within the first week of class: the Italian spelling is done with the Italian cities. And all native Italians know all the Italian cities, where they are located and their wider regions.

People educated in Italian schools learn their own geography in elementary and middle school and like most Europeans, they know the major facts about the 20 regions that make up the boot. However, many non-Europeans who plan to visit or move to Italy judge Italian geography useless and most even refuse to learn the few Italian cities whose first letter make up their full name.

Unfortunately, when you can't spell your name with Italian cities, you can't book or make any reservations and Italians have no clue about non-Italian sounds, even more so when you have a non-Italian spelling...

One extra reason to savor Italian geography is that it comes with its diverse history, costumes, dialects, specific words, expressions and use of the grammar typical of only specific areas.

In fact, despite the stereotypes: Italy isn't a monoculture and the Italian friendliness you perceive is in most cases just a façade. This is even truer in business situations like long term renting, buying properties and doing business.

Therefore be aware of any Italian language class that doesn't teach the alphabet with the names of the Italian cities because you'll be missing a useful part and won't be able to spell your name properly. Plus, you'll be missing all the Italian culture bits that come with it...

Take private Italian classes with us: turinepi@gmail.com