Palazzo Chiablese

The most elegant apartment in the city
In the heart of Turin, an apparently austere and unadorned building conceals a riot of golden sparkles, furnishings and colourful fabrics: this is Palazzo Chiablese, one of the most outstanding examples of European Rococo.

Between the 16^th and 17^th centuries
The residence started to be built in the 16^th century and was originally owned by the marquise Beatrice Langosco of Stroppiana. Between the 17^th and 18^th centuries the residence was inhabited by the cadet sons of the House of Savoy; in 1642, it was then gifted to Cardinal Maurice on the occasion of his marriage to his niece Ludovica, but few traces remain of this decorative phase.

A House for the king's favourite son
Today's appearance is the result of the rearrangements ordered by the King of Sardinia Charles Emmanuel III for his beloved last-born son Benedict Maurice. He was entitled Duke of Chiablese and this was the name that identified the palace for centuries to follow. From 1753, the first court architect Benedetto Alfieri enlarged the 17^th-century residence to occupy the entire block. He designed the new exposed brick façade facing the cathedral, which remained unfinished, and created a convenient gallery connecting it to the Royal Palace. Inside, the rooms were distributed with great attention to functionality and decorated by a large team of workers who covered the walls with carved wall panels and enlivened the vaults with rococo stuccoes. Above the doors were placed Paintings by the most renowned painters in Turin at the time, and the king of cabinet-makers, the famous Pietro Piffetti, was involved in designing the furniture.

The House of the Princes Cadets
During the French occupation, the palace became the home of Prince Camillo Borghese and his wife Pauline Bonaparte. Later on, King Charles Felix lived here, since he preferred it to the Royal Palace. A final decorative renovation was carried out for the marriage of Ferdinand, the second son of King Charles Albert, and Elisabeth of Saxony (1850). The following year, the residence witnessed the birth of the future first queen of Italy, Margaret of Savoy, who spent her youth in these rooms.

In the 20^th century
In 1943, the bombing of the city caused extensive damage to the palace: a precious 18^th-century drawing room was completely destroyed, and several rooms were damaged, such as the Alcove, which was restored in 2020. Part of the residence is now the headquarters of the Metropolitan City of Turin’s Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape Department while the ground floor of the Chiablese Palace houses the Royal Museums’ temporary exhibitions.