ROYAL RESIDENCES OF THE SAVOY FAMILY

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A delightful view from the Royal Park

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The reconstruction of the Castle came to a sudden halt shortly thereafter. While the reasons for this are not exactly clear, they can, perhaps, be put down to the financial decisions made by the princes of Savoia-Carignano and the death of Emanuele Filiberto in 1709. Nevertheless, certain parts of Guarini’s magnificent design (a true triumph of Baroque architecture for a civil residence of great size) were completed, including the central area, corresponding to the castle courtyard, and the northern façade facing the park. The Savoia-Carignano princes show little renewed interest in their Castle of Racconigi until the second half of the eighteenth century, when artistic tastes begin to change and late-Baroque progressively gives way to the first neo-classicism. The south façade was not touched by Guarini and so Racconigi looked like a castle with two towers and a central donjon.

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The central donjon with the drawbridge, the moat and other medieval structures

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From: Bellitalia-Mondadori

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Ludovico Vittorio decided to finish the south façade in the second half of XVIII century  and the new work is entrusted to the architect Giovan Battista Borra, whose already precocious, neo-classical awareness inspires him to reinterpret the structure of the main reception hall (in lines still visible today) and to start the central part of the new southern façade facing the town.

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The neoclassic façade designed by Giovan Battista Borra

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The Borra façade, an expression of pure neo-classicism, features a four-column, Palladian pronaos, with triangular tympanum, projecting at the front, and intentionally restrained decorative elements: pilasters with white marble capitals bearing elegant curvilinear ionic scrolls; military trophies, helmets, shields and banners on the tympanum; large, stone decorative vases along the edge of the roof moulding. Ludovico wanted also the inscription under the tympanum: LUDOVICUS A SABAUDIA MDCCLVII (Ludovico of Savoia 1757).

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A present view of the Castle

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The last important building and decorating season for the Castello di Racconigi begins in 1831 with the ascent to the throne of the cadet line,  the princes of Savoia-Carignano, and the reign of Carlo Alberto. The young King had a particular fondness for Racconigi because it had been the centre of his family’s patrimonial estates for more than two hundred years, and he entrusts the new work to the architect Ernest Melano, who was already involved in restoring and remodelling other Savoy Residences in those years. In order to satisfy the need for additional residential space at the now Royal Castle, the architect extends both of the façades even further (the one facing the town has two side wings added that are lower than those created by Guarini and Borra) and then connects them with two constructions to the east and west, thereby forming two new, internal, rectangular courtyards. The iron rail fence was added in 1842, with the demolition of some of the medieval blocks, to separate the area in front of the southern façade of the castle from the large open square, but also to create an entryway. The start of the first Independence war stopped all the works.

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The old castle with the east and west wings built by Ernest Melano in order to satisfy the needs of a Royal court

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The south-west pavillion of the south-west wing

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After Vittorio Emanuele II and Umerto I's reigns there was a deep, renewed interest in the Castello Reale di Racconigi by King Vittorio Emanuele III. The King had a particular preference for the Castle and would have his son Umberto II born in 1904. Every year the King and his Family leaved Rome to Racconigi in order to spend their holidays in peace. The old Castle was choosen becouse of its position (it is near Turin but in a very calm place). Vittorio Emanuele III would also receive Czar Nicholas II of Russia there five years later, while the Czar was on an official State visit to sign the “Treaty of Racconigi”. During the years there were other royal guests such as Franz Josef of Battenberg and Anna of Montenegro, Manuel II of Portugal, the Belgian Royal Family in 1923. King Albert and Vittorio Emanuele III wanted their sons Leopoldo (II) and Giovanna (later Queen of Bulgaria) to know in order of a future marriage, like Umberto II and Maria Josè. The Sovereigns of Montenegro went in 1918. Racconigi was also choosen by Princess Mafalda for her marriage with Philip of Hessen-Kassel in 1925. Vittorio Emanuele III gave the castle to his son Umberto II as marriage gift in 1930. Since 1920 Umberto started collecting portraits and paintings linked to his Royal House. They were taken from other castles, especially from Moncalieri castle, and Umberto transformed the long 1° floor and 3° floor galleries into art collections with portraits of members of the Royal Family. After the Monarchy' s fall, there was a long judicial controversy between the Italian State and the Royal House. His Majesty Umberto II won. The Castle was anyway bought by the Italian State in 1980 after the Royal House, who could not afford the huge maintenance charges, decided to sell it.

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The castle in a waterpaint dated 1845, after five centuries the castle is now complete

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Interiors of the Castle: 1° FLOOR