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 

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