Castello del Valentino

Built starting from the 16th century, it was transformed and enlarged, for the willing of Christine of France, Vittorio Amedeo I's wife, by Carlo and Amedeo of Castellamonte, (1620-1660): to the French taste of the royal madam are due the roofs with inclined pitches.

The original character of fluvial villa looking at the river Po was later altered by the development of the front towards the city, with great honour courtyard closed on three sides: in particular, the two side bodies perpendicular to the façade were re-built in the 19th century; the façade is given a portico with an upper lodge and it is sided by two quadrilateral towers.

Castle of the Valentino

Decayed after the death of Christine of France, the residence had other destinations of use: veterinary school in the French period, barracks in 1824, application school for engineers from 1859, then seat of the Faculty of Architecture of the Polytechnics of Turin.

The rooms in the noble floor keep important 17th century décor in fresco and golden or white stucco.
To a first decorative phase (1633-1638), commissioned to Isidoro Bianchi and to his sons Pompeo and Francesco, are to be referred the main central room and the rooms on its right, that constitute the Moncalieri apartment.

In the central main room the pro-French dynasty histories of the Savoy dukes are an homage to the royal madam.
The Green Room has in the roof the "Ratto di Europa" and apotheosis of the bull, and in the sides mythological episodes.

This is followed by the Roses Room and the Zodiac Room, with stuccoes portraying star signs and constellations, the Valentine Room or of the Flower Birth, with at the centre of the roof Flora, the Muses and the centaur Chirone to whom the flying Apollo gives the Castello del Valentino, the little Cabinet of the flowers and the Lily Room, with rich stuccoes and friezes with putties with lilies.

Left of the central room there is the Turin apartment, whose decoration in white stucco was made by Alessandro Casella (1646-1649), while the frescoes were given to Giovanni Paolo and Giovanni Antonio Recchi (1662).

Then there are the War Room, whose frescoes portray episodes with armies and artillerymen in the frieze, the Audience Room or the Business Room, the Magnificence Room, with Turin landscapes and other landscapes frescoed in the frieze, the Hunting Room, with at the centre of the roof Diana the hunter and nymphs, the annexed Cabinet of the labours of Hercules and the Feast Room.

An area of 27,000 metres square left of the Castle is occupied by the Botanical Gardens; founded by Vittorio Amedeo II in 1729, it comprehends various rare plants and it is provided with vast greenhouses, an herbarium and a Library, in which there are kept precious botanical plates of the 17th century.

If you would like to visit the Castello del Valentino you can contact Somewhere Tours&Events.