Venaria Reale Masterpiece

The Great Gallery, or Galleria Grande is one of the best Venaria Reale Masterpieces, dating back to the 18th century. The Gallery boasts of wide spaces decorated with stuccoes and tapestries, and was used to connect the king’s apartment to the apartment of the heir to the throne. Designed by Pietro Filippo Somasso, Giuseppe Bolina, Antonio Papa and Giovambattista Sanbartolomeo, the gallery boasted a height of 15 metres in the centre of the vault, in addition to a length of 80 metres and width of 12 metres. There are 44 large windows in the gallery, with 22 large oval openings inside, which create a stunning display of light beams.

Another one of the Venaria Reale Masterpieces is the Gall of Diana, located in the heart of the palace. The hall is rectangular in shape, and boasts of many stuccoes and illustrations of hunting. It is also home to the frescoed vault of Olympus by Jan Miel. Around 10 other paintings by Jan Miel are also located here, all of which bear a hunting theme. The hall was used for banquets and receptions during the 17th century.

The Chapel of St. Hubert was built between 1716 and 1729, and is particularly known for its Greek cross plan, wherein two large altars are placed at the sides of the transept and four circular chapels are placed on the diagonals. The main attraction here is the high altar, which seems to be suspended when you look at it, with a tabernacle of marble angels in the back. You can also see four statues of the Doctors of the Church namely Sant'Agostino, Sant'Ambrogio, Sant'Atanasio and San Giovanni Crisostomo, placed around the central pillars.

The Juvarra Stables are some of the most impressive Venaria Reale Masterpieces, in addition to being great examples of the European Baroque style of architecture. The stables are the abode of Bucentaur, which was commissioned by Vittorio Amedeo II between 1729 and 1731. It is also the only Bucentaur of its kind, and was designed in Venice. As of today, the Juvarra Stables act as a place for the Scuderia Grande and Citroniera, which once could contain over 200 horses and more than 400 carts of citrus fruits.

The Fluid Sculpture Garden is another Venaria Reale Masterpiece, which was built on land sprawling over 3 hectares of area. Designed by Giuseppe Penone, the Garden of Fluid Sculptures is particularly known for its bronze trees, fountains and numerous groves. It takes its inspiration from the Garden of Fountains which was designed for the park of Venaria Palace, and serves as a sensory place, where different materials are used to mark the transition from one sculpture of another, thereby showcasing the constant state of fluidity between all the elements, such as trees, water, marble, granite, bronze, etc.

Another one of the Venaria Reale Masterpieces is the Water Theatre of the Fontana del Cervo, or the Fountain of the Stag. It is from here where you can soak in views of the entire estate, and witness the difference in the structure which was built by different architects throughout the years. The fountain of the stage, today, acts as a historical reference to this ancient site, which still houses the remains of the foundations and some parts of the decorations which were destroyed several centuries ago. The water theatre, on the other hand, has 100 water nozzles with a height of up to 12 metres, complete with steam ducts and colourful projectors, making it one of the most beautiful fountains in the whole world.