Castello di Rivoli
Between past, present, and future
Savoy residence since 1247
The Castle of Rivoli stands at a strategic control point 15 km from Turin, on the morainic amphitheatre that opens up to the Susa Valley, west of the city. Its origins, as a military stronghold, date back to the 11th century. Savoy property since 1247, from the second half of the 16th century the building began to take on its current appearance.
The extensions in the 17th century
The first residence in Piedmont of Duke Emmanuel Philibert, it was transformed into a palace of leisure thanks to the interventions of architect Ascanio Vitozzi and Carlo and Amedeo di Castellamonte. The complex was then enriched with the Manica Lunga, the ducal picture gallery, over 140 metres long.
Juvarra's great unfinished project
In the early 18th century, it became one of the most important places for the life of the Savoy court. Shortly after acquiring the royal title (1713), Victor Amadeus II commissioned Filippo Juvarra to rebuild the castle, who designed a majestic building that channelled the court's artistic investments between 1717 and 1727. Works by the best artists of the time were selected for the picture gallery, such as Gaspar van Wittel, Sebastiano Conca, Francesco Solimena, Sebastiano Ricci and Francesco Trevisani.
Following the imprisonment of Victor Amadeus II, from 1731 to 1732, Juvarra's monumental project came to a halt, remaining unfinished as the new king, Charles Emmanuel III, channelled his economic and design efforts elsewhere, preferring other residences such as the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi. The Rivoli Castle, only half-built, was again the subject of work at the end of the 18th century by Carlo Randoni, who is credited with the decoration of the rooms on the second floor, including the Chinese drawing room (1793).
The decline
With the Restoration, the movable furniture was largely dispersed. Sold to the municipality of Rivoli in 1883, the castle became a military barrack. Hit by bombing during the Second World War, it was the subject of a demolition project, which fortunately was never realised. A first attempt to restore the building was launched on the occasion of the celebrations for the centenary of the Unification of Italy, in 1961.
The Great Restoration and the Museum of Contemporary Art
In 1979, thanks to the Piedmont Region's decision to acquire it on loan it for 29 years, a lengthy restoration project was started, led by architect Andrea Bruno, which put an end to the building's deterioration, creating an evocative line of continuity between past, present and future.
In 1984, the first Museum of Contemporary Art in Italy was opened there. The Museum has three exhibition floors in the Castello Building and the unique third floor of the Manica Lunga. The Collection includes works from the 1960s to the present day, with a focus on Arte Povera, Transavantgarde, Minimal, Body and Land Art, as well as temporary exhibitions. Thanks to the agreement signed in 2017 between the Cerruti Foundation and the Castello di Rivoli, a dedicated space will be open from 2019, with a collection ranging from Renaissance works to the great masters of contemporary art such as Bacon, Picasso, Modigliani, Warhol, Klee and Kandinsky.
- 1247: Thomas II takes possession of the castle formerly belonging to the Bishops of Turin
- 1562-1571: Francesco Paciotto begins the transformation of the medieval castle
- 1584: Ascanio Vitozzi enlarges the castlev1606: Carlo of Castellamonte takes over management of the site
- 1643-1647: Antonio Maurizio Valperga works on the castle building site
- 1693: A serious fire destroys a large part of the building
- 1711: Michelangelo Garove transforms the castle on the model of contemporary European palacesv1715: Filippo Juvarra plans to transform the castle into a grand royal residence. The project is documented by large paintings by Gio Paolo Pannini and the wooden model by Carlo Maria Ugliengo
- 1727: Interruption of work: the castle remains incomplete
- 1792-1798: The castle is given in appanage to Victor Emmanuel, Duke of Aosta
- 1883: The castle is purchased by the Municipality of Rivoli
- 1978: The Piedmont Region begins the extensive restoration of the building to a design by Andrea Bruno
- 1984: The castle opens to the public as Museum of Contemporary Art.
- Today: Museum of Contemporary Art
Victor Amadeus II
Duke of Savoy, King of Sicily, then King of Sardinia; 1666-1732.
The son of Charles Emmanuel II and Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy Nemours, in 1675 he succeeded his father under his mother's regency until 1684, when he definitively assumed power. In the same year he married Anne of Orleans. In 1769, his mother ceded the Vigna di Madama Reale to the Hospital of Charity complex, but this measure was revoked and in 1682 the building returned to the possession of the duke, who granted the hospital the opportunity to mortgage the building in order to obtain money from it. This was one of the first decrees marking the emancipation of the young duke from his mother. From the end of the 17th century, in fact, Vittorio Amedeo matured the desire to transform the institutional structure of the state, which was reorganised from the second decade of the 18th century. From 1692, with his consort, he stayed briefly at the Vigna del cardinal Maurizio. In 1711 he promoted new works at La Mandria, declaring his intention to create a shelter for thoroughbred mares. The end of the War of the Spanish Succession (1713) marked the rise of the duchy to the rank of kingdom with the acquisition of Sicily. In 1714, on the occasion of the coronation held in Palermo, he met Filippo Juvarra in Messina: he commissioned him to design a new hunting palace, the Stupinigi Hunting Lodge, destined to the future heir Charles Emmanuel III and his wife Polissena of Hesse. In 1720 Sicily was ceded in exchange for Sardinia; Victor Amadeus II became the first king of Sardinia. In the last decade of his reign, he chose Venaria Reale as his preferred place of residence, hunting in other places, in particular at Stupinigi. During his reign he promoted numerous works at the Venaria Reale: in 1717 he began the construction of the St Hubert’s Chapel, in 1724 the completion of the noble apartments and other works to embellish the residence. In 1729 he authorised the creation of the Botanical Garden near the Valentino Castle. In 1730 he abdicated, leaving power to Charles Emmanuel III, who had a very conflictual relationship with his father figure, albeit for only two years, comparable to the tensions of Victor Amadeus II himself towards his mother.
