Venaria Palace (aka Reggia di Venaria) is one of the most visited places by tourists who choose to come to Turin during the year. This architectural complex at the gates of the city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The Palace can easily be reached on your Vespa from the city centre in around twenty minutes.
One famous saying in Piedmont states that “Who visits Turin and not Venaria, sees the mother and not the child”. This is exactly right because discovering Turin also means visiting one of its most splendid and famous jewels which was reborn after years of restoration works.
In 2020 the Palace will return the last of its architectural beauties, currently still being restored, to visitors: the Ercole fountain.
Before learning about the history of one of the most impressive Savoy residences, let’s find out how to reach it on a Vespa.
Venaria Palace is in Venaria Reale, a municipality on the first ring of Turin. On your Vespa, it takes around 20-25 minutes from the Centre of Turin. In fact having left behind the heavy city centre traffic, you will go down wide tree-line avenues to Venaria, without having to use the ring road. The route to follow is shown in the “Kings and Queens by Vespa, the Savoy Residences in Turin” tour (link).
When travelling by Vespa you must pay careful attention to the signposts you see on the street. Venaria Palace is a complex of buildings: to arrive at the main part and hence, the entrance in Piazza della Repubblica, you need to follow the signs for “La Reggia di Venaria e i Giardini” and not for “Scuderie Juvarriane”. Just before Piazza della Repubblica, which has no traffic access, you will see a parking lot for scooters.
Venaria Palace will never cease to amaze both the people of Turin as well as tourists from all over the world. It is the result of one of the greatest restorations in Europe and re-opened its doors in 2007. For some years now it has always appeared on the list of the 10 most visited museums in Italy.
After its construction in 1675, the Palace underwent changing fortunes and was the target of numerous “attacks” by the enemy of the time. For these reasons some of its parts were destroyed and over time reconstructed.
This monumental complex however, underwent its darkest period between the Napoleonic Wars and at the end of the 1900s: almost two centuries in which it was totally abandoned and used only for military purposes.
2007 was the year of its rebirth and the restitution to mankind of one of the most beautiful palaces in Europe that over the years has also become a venue for events and exhibitions.
The golden age of the Palace had just begun. In fact, in the spring of 2020 will be the inauguration of another area that has been undergoing restoration. We are speaking about the Ercole Foundation one of the most extensive and imposing fountains of the Palace that lies at the heart of its gardens.
Some remains of the Ercole Fountain have re-emerged from the grounds during the restoration works. Starting from 2020, these remains will form the base of the fountain upon which the statue of Ercole Colosso will take centre stage surrounded by spectacular water plays.
We have just given you another reason to visit Venaria Palace. Start up the engine of your Vespa now and reach this precious jewel at the gates of Turin!
