A Weekend Fit for a King: Art, History and Good Food in Venaria Reale

Spending a couple of days as guests of the Savoy sovereigns at their hunting residence, letting art and beauty fill our eyes and gladden our hearts, relaxing among the hedges and roses of the immense garden, delighting in delicacies inspired by the local area and raised to an artistic level: if until recently all this was the privilege of a few, today it's within everyone's reach. "Royalty and the pleasure of living. This is Venaria Reale", says the slogan, which every moment of our weekend will fully confirm, starting with our "lodgings": the rooms, furnished with fresh elegance and equipped with every comfort, of the B&B La Finestra sulla Reggia, connected to the Ristorante Il Convito della Venaria. As the name of the establishment suggests, the windows look right out onto the Clock Tower, that is, onto the entrance of the Reggia.

After settling in, we set off on our royal tour through history and magnificence. The Reggia di Venaria, built between 1658 and 1679 to a design by Amedeo di Castellamonte, and with the precious contribution also of the architect Filippo Juvarra, to whom the Galleria Grande is due among other things, is a masterpiece of international Baroque. Commissioned by Duke Charles Emmanuel II, the building was the base of the royal family during hunting trips: hence the name Venaria, that is, hunting lodge. Our route begins in the underground areas, passing through the stories, customs and traditions of the Savoy era, then reaches the piano nobile of the halls enriched with marvellous stuccoes and painted decorations. We also visit the Chapel of Saint Hubert, built between 1716 and 1729 to a design by Juvarra.

The complex also includes the vast gardens laid out on three levels, where you find among other things the great fishpond, the rose garden and the archaeological remains of the Fountain of Hercules. Our day continues among the colours and flavours of culinary art at the Convito della Venaria, where we're welcomed with great kindness and friendliness by the owners Lucia Basta and the chef Christian Contu. From our table a magnificent view opens up over the Reggia wrapped in the evening lights, which we admire while sipping an aperitif. Our gourmet dinner begins with the beef tartare with beetroot, goat's cheese cream and peppers: an exquisite example of how the cooking of the area can be interpreted with imagination and originality.

We continue with the egg with a runny yolk on Grana Padano zabaglione and toasted hazelnuts, another dish that bears witness to the chef's flair, whose combinations of flavours are always delicate and sublime. Our friends who prefer fish choose the lightly smoked red prawns from Sicily with soft potato and citrus, and continue with polenta, oysters and red onion. The charm is also in the details: the homemade bread is served on a slab of Luserna stone, and for the more delicate courses we have a special sauce spoon, which on one side looks like a knife. We continue with the agnolottini del plin with aromatic herbs on cauliflower cream, served in a lovely jar that keeps them warm and evokes the homely atmosphere of times gone by. In choosing the main courses our group divides between the Morro salt cod with bean cream and sun-dried tomatoes, and the "Playing with...

venison, veal and turbot". The sweet conclusion of the dinner sees us enjoying the crème caramel, while our friends are tempted by the soft bitter orange dessert with almond brittle. The next morning we visit the Castello della Mandria and its park, where horse-drawn and riding excursions are also organised. Returning to the centre, we take a stroll in the historic village, whose shape recalls the collar of the Annunciation, symbol of the House of Savoy, and we visit the church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. A mid-morning peckishness brings us back to the Convito della Venaria. "With us, the gourmet dinner and the lunchtime bistro follow two distinctly different approaches, although the midday dishes are also the fruit of the same care and imagination that characterises dinner.

But at lunch the style is lighter and the cost is accessible to everyone, exactly what tourists are looking for between one visit and another", Lucia explains. We start with the soft Castelmagno cheese with celery compote with black pepper and crispy bread, and then we enjoy the excellent homemade malfatti with rabbit ragù, Taggiasca olives and aged ricotta. The bunet with whipped cream and crumbled amaretti will give us the sweet boost to continue the day visiting some of the art exhibitions set up at the Reggia: the one dedicated to Lorenzo Lotto and the exhibition by Roberto Capucci, "The Search for Royalty". We still have a lot to discover in this lovely city, and future exhibitions will also surely draw us back beneath the Clock Tower.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Il Convito della Venaria Via Andrea Mensa, 37/G Venaria Reale (TO) Tel.: 011/4598392 Facebook: Il Convito Della Venaria