CASTELLO E PARCO DI RACCONIGI
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Castle with a magnificent park and an important collection of paintings.
Built at the end of the 11th century by the Marquises of Saluzzo, the castle was completely remodeled in the 17th century by Prince Emanuele Filiberto di Carignano, who entrusted the work to the great architect Guarino Guarini. However, Guarini completed only the facade facing the park and the central pavilion, the rest being completed later by Giovanni Battista Borra in 1755. The neoclassical façade dates from the latter period. The interior is truly sumptuous, with a large collection of paintings and stucco and gilded decor worthy of a king's home (Salon d'Hercule, Salon de Diane, etc.). The Chinese apartment, decorated with oriental tapestries, was home to Tsar Nicholas II during his visit in 1909. The famous Etruscan cabinet follows the trend of 19th-century archaeological excavations, and features reproductions of frescoes from the Monterozzi necropolis, discovered in the 1820s, on its vaults.
A magnificent 170-hectare park stretches out behind the château. Designed by André Le Nôtre in 1670, it owes its romantic allure to landscape architect Xavier Kurten, who adapted it to the tastes of the time in 1820. In 1834, greenhouses and cascines (farmhouses typical of the Po plain) were built to enable the king and his family to rest during their walks. Today, the mistresses of the place are the white storks, carefully reintroduced by an association of environmentalists.
Le château est certainement l’un des plus beau du Piémont. Aux beaux jours, il est très agréable de se promener dans son parc et si vous levez la tête, vous pourrez apercevoir sur le toit les nids des cigognes qui y habitent.