Palazzo dell'Università (University palace)

Realised for the will of Vittorio Amedeo II for the reforms of the Savoy school system at the beginning of the 18th century, expression of the absolutist Savoy policy, the palace of the Royal University was projected by Michelangelo Garove starting from 1712 and finished within the 1730s with contributions by Antonio Bertola, Giovanni Antonio Ricca and Filippo Juvarra.

Palazzo dell'Università

It was remarkable a project not realised by Bernardo Antonio Vittone that foresaw the adding of a new tower for the Observatory (1740).

The palace occupies the Sant'Elena block, between via Verdi and via Po, in the power area, near the Royal Palace and the government offices.

It is characterised by the honour yard, of a regular shape that prefers as its constituent part the parallelism with via della Zecca (the actual via Verdi) in comparison with the oblique trend of via Po.

The portico is characterised at the ground floor by pillars with smooth rooks, while in the loggia overlooking the pillars with their shafts with alternated smooth and fluted rooks follow French models already used in the 17th century in Turin.

From the Juvarra phase of the building yard, developing in three moments starting from 1716, there is left as a unique testimony the external décor works in stucco made by the Lugano maestros Serafino Avogadro and Pietro Somasso.

The main portal, on via Verdi, is a work of art by Giuseppe Maria Talucchi who realised in 1834.

Nowadays is the seat of the University of Turin.