Reggia di Venaria Reale

Reggia di Venaria Reale Review

This immense palace was built in the mid-16th century as a sumptuous hunting lodge for Carlo Emanuele II of Savoy. Extensive Italianate gardens surround the building, and the Great Gallery inside is worthy of Versailles. The basements now house a historical exhibition that relates the story of the Savoy. The upper floors are given over to changing exhibitions. A sound-and-light show by the British film director Peter Greenaway enlivens rooms throughout the palace, and a permanent installation of works by arte povera artist Giuseppe Penone is in the Lower Park outside.