From July through October , Racconigi Castle presents *The Hidden Castle: Heritage to Rediscover*, a series of special open house events that will allow visitors to explore areas not usually included in the standard tour. The initiative offers the opportunity to discover some of the most fascinating and lesser-known spaces of the Savoy residence, includingthe West Apartment,the South Apartment, and the so-called wet nurses’ quarters, located on the mezzanine level. The tours will allow visitors to admire rooms rich in history, furnishings, and works of art, including one of the most precious pieces in the castle’s collections: the exquisite casket donated by the City of Milan to Princess Margherita of Savoy on the occasion of her marriage to the future King Umberto I.
The schedule kicks off on Saturday, July 4, with tours at 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., and continues on July 18, August 8 and 22, September 26, and October 3 and 17. The events will alternate between tours of the historic apartments and the wet nurses’ quarters, offering a glimpse of both the court’s state rooms and its service areas.
Built during the expansion project undertaken by Carlo Alberto in the 1830s and restored in 2013, the Ponente Apartment now houses a significant selection of 18th-century paintings and furnishings from the castle’s historical collections. Among the most notable works are the spectacular perspective views of the project designed by Filippo Juvarra for Rivoli Castle, which was never built. The paintings were created between 1723 and 1725 by Marco Ricci, Andrea Locatelli, Giovanni Paolo Pannini, and the Piedmontese painter Massimo Teodoro Michela. Rounding out the exhibition is a precious console table crafted by Lorenzo Boniccelli, whose top depicts the layout of the Turin Citadel during the siege of 1706, along with other works dedicated to Vittorio Amedeo II.
Originally intended to house members of the court and later used as guest quarters for princes and ministers, the Southern Apartment houses a rich collection of dynastic portraits and artifacts linked to the history of the House of Savoy. Among the most precious objects is a casket crafted in 1869 by cabinetmaker Giuseppe Speluzzi and donated by the City of Milan to Margherita of Savoy on the occasion of her marriage to the future Umberto I. Crafted from ebony, ivory, polychrome mother-of-pearl, and gilded bronze through the collaboration of some of the finest Milanese artisans of the time, it stands as one of the finest examples of 19th-century decorative arts and is now on display alongside other heirlooms that belonged to the royal couple.
Tours of the nannies’ quarters take visitors through the service areas located on the first mezzanine floor, above the Princes’ current apartment. These spaces reveal a little-known aspect of court life, linked to the summer stays of the children of Vittorio Emanuele III and Elena of Montenegro. Nannies, governesses, and staff responsible for the education and care of the young princes worked here, and today these rooms offer a valuable glimpse into the daily life of the royal family.
Saturday, July 4, at 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. – Special opening of the Ponente and Mezzogiorno Apartments.
Saturday, July 18, at 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. – Special opening of the wet nurses’ quarters.
Saturday, August 8, at 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. – Special opening of the Ponente and Mezzogiorno Apartments.
Saturday, August 22, at 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. – Special opening of the wet nurses’ quarters.
Saturday, September 26, at 4:30 p.m. – Special opening of the wet nurses’ quarters in celebration of European Heritage Days.
Saturday, October 3, at 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. – Special opening of the Ponente and Mezzogiorno Apartments.
Saturday, October 17, at 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. – Special opening of the wet nurses’ quarters.
All tours are included with the regular admission ticket to the Castle.
Tickets: full price 8 euros, excluding legally mandated discounts and free admission.
Information: drm-pie.racconigi@cultura.gov.it
Tickets available online at www.museiitaliani.it and via the Musei Italiani app.
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| The Hidden Castle of Racconigi: Special Tours of the Less-Known Rooms of the Savoy Residence |
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