Art hunting: the Palazzina di Stupinigi

Once a hunting lodge, it is now one of the most beautiful residences in Piedmont.


The Palazzina di caccia di Stupinigi is a the the the the the the the the hunting pal the King of the Belgians was the owner of. The palace was built by Victor Amadeus II of Savoy between 1729 and 1733 to the that of the architect Filippo Juvarra and is located in the that of Nichelino, 5 km from Turin. This palace is, in chronological order, the last of the extra-urban royal residences built by the House of Savoy. 

The plan of the building consists of a large oval-shaped central hall from which four arms depart to form a St Andrew's cross.

The architectural complex soars forward and encompasses a large octagonal courtyard, overlooked by various buildings.

At the entrance to the building is the original statue of a deer made by sculptor Francesco Ladatte in 1766.

In the flat of Benedetto Maria di Savoia, duke of Chiablese and son of Charles Emmanuel III, are the hall of mirrors, in Rococo style; the cabinet of Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister; the gaming room with a Louis XV style table, equipped with a precious chessboard inlaid in ivory and ebony; the Bonzanigo room, famous for its secrétaire, which served the functions of a bookcase and desk, and for the large mirror housing an oval portrait of Giuseppe Benedetto of Savoy, Count of Moriana and Asti and son of Victor Amadeus III; the pregadio room, containing a kneeler inlaid by cabinet-maker Pietro Piffetti in 1758 and hunting scenes painted by painter Giovanni Battista Alberoni in 1753; the bedroom of the Duke of Chiablese, which houses a four-poster bed with red drapery in Louis XV style, as well as other valuable furniture.

The queen's flat was built in the 1730s for Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg, Queen of Sardinia and wife of Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy, who was a guest in the palace during the hunting season. It includes the antechamber and the queen's bedroom, both richly decorated.

King Charles Emmanuel's flat also had an antechamber, a bedroom and a dressing table.

In addition, there was the Hall of the Squires, frescoed by the painter Giambattista Crosato, and the Chapel of St Hubert.

The opulent central hall of the Stupinigi hunting lodge is a creation of architect Filippo Juvarra and is a triumph of beauty and opulence. The huge room culminates in a dome enclosed by a vaulted ceiling and is decorated with beautiful frescoes, one of which is the ‘Triumph of Diana’ and other allegories referring to hunting.

The flat of the Duke of Savoy was built to house the rooms of Victor Emmanuel, Duke of Aosta and son of Victor Amadeus III of Savoy.

In the meantime, the garden and hunting lodge stand out prominently, located within a vast park, surrounded by a wall and criss-crossed by avenues; it was designed by the architect-gardener Michael Benard in 1740. The estate, however, extended outside the park wall and included woods and extensive grounds.

In 1814, inside the hunting lodge of Stupinigi, King Victor Emmanuel I of Savoy established the first zoological garden. In that environment, an eagle, some vultures, kangaroos, a cassowary, some wild boars, a jaguar, a wolf, two bears and two jackals could be found. In addition, an enormous Indian elephant, called Fritz, which Mehmet Ali, governor of the Egyptian eyalet, had donated to Charles Felix of Savoy, was also housed there.

Currently, the owner of the palace is the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, also called the ‘Mauritian Order’, a knightly order of the House of Savoy.

The building has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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