The Savoy royals at Racconigi

The story · 1 days

Racconigi is home to the famous hunting reserve of the Savoy royals, who used to spend the month of September here. Today the castle can be visited, along with its great park. A little history: The first records of the castle of Racconigi date back to the Middle Ages and attest to the presence of an ancient fortified house with towers. In the second half of the 14th century the fief passed first to the Savoy-Acaia and then to the Savoy-Racconigi, lateral branches of the House of Savoy, who kept the castle's military use, leaving its medieval layout unchanged. Over time, maintenance work was carried out. From princely residence to seat of the 'royal summer retreats': The great architect of the 19th-century transformation of the castle of Racconigi was Carlo Alberto, seventh Prince of Carignano and later King of Sardinia.

The young prince, who even before becoming king favoured his ancestors' residence as a summer home, in 1832 entered this residence among the Royal Summer Retreats. Carlo Alberto entrusted the court architect with the enlargement aimed at creating new guest apartments on the first floor, thus making the residence better suited to the needs of the court. The Bolognese architect, painter and decorator Pelagio Palagi was given the works concerning the furnishing and decoration of the interiors on the noble floors. Even during the works the castle continued to be frequented assiduously by the royal family, which every summer used to stay there, spending serene days, as far as possible removed from court protocol and ceremony. After the death of Carlo Alberto, the summer residence was visited less frequently by the princes.

Only after the death of Umberto I did the residence regain vitality through the initiatives of the new royal couple. The castle once again became a holiday home regularly frequented almost every year by Vittorio Emanuele III and Elena del Montenegro, and was transformed: heating systems, bathrooms and electricity appeared, along with new pumps supplying drinking water to every floor; radios and record players became widespread; a photographic laboratory was built for the exclusive use of the king and queen; restoration work was carried out in some rooms on the noble floors. The palace was equipped to receive prestigious guests visiting the sovereigns: in 1909 it hosted the Tsar of Russia Nicholas II and in 1918 the parents of Queen Elena. In 1904 the last king of Italy, Umberto II, was born in this residence.

During the years of the First World War, with Vittorio Emanuele III leaving for the front and the queen's commitments in Rome, opportunities to stay at Racconigi were few. The last act of great solemnity was the celebration of the wedding of Filippo d'Assia and Mafalda di Savoia, the princess who died tragically in the Buchenwald extermination camp. The castle and park of Racconigi were the Savoys' holiday residence until the Second World War. Purchased by the State in 1980, they underwent long and careful restoration work before being opened to the public in 1987; they were included among the assets protected by UNESCO. Currently home to numerous cultural initiatives, exhibitions, public openings, guided tours, etc., the castle and park play a fundamental role for the town of Racconigi.

The castle stands in the large Piazza Castello of the town, with ample parking and plenty of public places such as bars and ice-cream parlours. Racconigi also offers a fine historic centre and numerous ancient churches. The park can be visited and at certain times of the year there are many events, including at night. Of great size, the park was the setting for the royals' hunting trips and the long walks of queens and ladies. Address: P.zza Castello 12035 Racconigi Telephone: +390(172)84005 Fax: +390(172)811531

Day 130 Mar 2008

Royal Park and Savoy Castle

My small great town. Famous for very few things among which the beautiful castle of the Savoy royals. Racconigi is one of the few towns to have such a beautiful castle, the hunting residence of the Savoys who came once a year in September to go hunting in the large and beautiful park that to this day, after a thousand vicissitudes, can be visited..... The park hosts numerous events all year round, daily and evening, summer, winter, trails, sets, theatres...... At the bottom of the park are the famous Royal Greenhouses, the Savoys' greenhouses that hosted the wedding lunch of the beautiful Mafalda of Savoy. The greenhouses, complete with stables, tool sheds and a miniature little castle where there was the chapel, the queen's "reposoir" and it's said also the king's, here the royals received spicy guests so as not to receive them in the public court.

Today the greenhouses are a place where exhibitions, trails and events related to the royals are set up. Just yesterday an event that lasted all winter called I Principini ended at the royal greenhouses...... Yesterday indeed, the park could be visited for free, among little lanes, centuries-old trees, hedges and flowers, carriages and horses for a tourist ride for visitors...... The lake and Merlin the wizard's cave, the Cavallini café...... in short a pleasant place immersed in royal and centuries-old nature to spend an afternoon in the open air. A pity that many trails and roads were closed to the public due to falling branches last week..... so a limited tour but the park is always very beautiful and evocative especially in spring with flowers and buds.

The castle can be visited with guided tours and Racconigi boasts the fact that inside the castle there is still most of the furniture, paintings, furnishings etc... of the Savoys. Many are the rooms open to the public, and many those to be opened or that will never be opened, since last year we have been able to visit the famous and beautiful royal kitchens as well as the various rooms with bathrooms, bedrooms, playrooms, sitting rooms and small sitting room, etc...... a castle of great standing, beautiful and interesting for those who love this sort of thing. The royals in the month of September came to Racconigi and in that month Racconigi was a town celebrating for an entire month while the court men went hunting on horseback in the park which at the time was anyway a bit different...more waterways, more wooden jetties and fewer concrete bridges...... What can I say......

The Savoys made Racconigi important with their presence and with the beautiful castle that now remains..... and the people of Racconigi loved their royals...... Haven't you visited the toll house yet? And the park? Well what are you waiting for? The website to visit to get excellent tourist information about the place is:

very close by is the historic centre, also very beautiful with numerous bars and shops (closed on Sundays). And if you then have time left after visiting the royal lands....well take a trip to the Lipu...... To visit the castle it takes about an hour, an hour and a half, for the park it depends on your pace...... And if you then want to have a picnic or read a book sitting on the park benches among centuries-old trees and stroll along the dirt lanes where the queens passed one after another.... Benches and even the café are available to tourists. At the entrance there are the ticket offices and toilets, the castle is mammoth and can be seen arriving from Cavallermaggiore and Savigliano already at the start of the famous tree-lined avenue commissioned by the royals.

In the beautiful and spacious castle square there are plenty of bars to satisfy all tastes and the famous Gelateria Dolomiti can offer delicious artisanal ice creams. Opposite the castle are the Town Hall of Racconigi and the traffic wardens, in the small garden opposite the castle, outside the walls, there is a kiosk open in spring and summer.