December Snow

In Turin snow seldom falls in december,  this year however it snowed in mid december. Not much, just one day, but enough to cover up the streets and the squares.

Just one day of snow, Turin changed its face.

Location : Via Roma

 

 

Christmas Tree 2022 Night

While during the day, the Christmas trees display has a more wilderness feel. After dark, it presents another aspect.

The twinkling lights do make it look more magical and atmospheric. The less than presentable backdrop is at least less visible.

Location : Piazza Castello

Christmas Tree 2022 Day

Just like La Mole is the symbol of Turin, a Christmas tree in the center is the symbol of Christmas celebration of the city.

After years of artificial tree, this year the city opted for the real trees, not just one but a huge one surrounded by a bush of little ones.

This year, the trees are located in front of the Royal Palace in Piazza Castello. Otherwise It is a good location, except that there is renovation work in progress with contruction frames mounted on the facade of the Royal Palace, thus providing a less than ideal backdrop.

Location : Piazza Castello

Frozen Day

The temperature is pretty low in these few days, varies from -2 to 2. Over the night, with the freezing temperature and fallen snow, water around the fountain in the Royal garden has frozen, leaving quite an impressive view to look at.

Location : Giardini Reali

Palazzina della Caccia of Stupinigi (2)

The new palace was designed by the architect Filippo Juvarra to be used as a palazzina di caccia ("hunting lodge") for Victor Amadeus II, King of Sardinia. Works started in 1729. Within two years construction was far enough advanced for the first formal hunt to take place.

Juvarra called upon a team of decorators, many of them from Venice, to carry out the decor of the palazzina interiors. In the reigns of Carlo Emanuele III and Victor Amadeus III the palazzina and its formal park continued to be extended, at first by Juvarra's assistant, Giovanni Tommaso Prunotto, then by numerous North Italian architects, such as Ignazio Birago di Borgaro, Ludovico Bo, Ignazio Bertola and Benedetto Alfieri. The final building has a total of 137 rooms and 17 galleries, and covers 31,050 square meters. Polissena of Hesse-Rotenburg, wife of Carlo Emanuele III also carried out improvements.

The original purpose of the hunting lodge is symbolized by the bronze stag perched at the apex of the stepped roof of its central dome, and the hounds' heads that decorate the vases on the roofline. The building has a saltire plan: four angled wings project from the oval-shaped main hall. 

The extensions resulted in separate pavilions linked by long angled galleries and a long octagonal forecourt enclosed by wings, extended forwards in two further entrance courts.

Stupinigi was the preferred building to be used for celebrations and dynastic weddings by members of the House of Savoy. Here, in 1773, Maria Teresa, Princess of Savoy, married Charles Philippe, Count of Artois, brother of Louis XVI and the future Charles X of France.

Today the Palace of Stupinigi houses the Museo di Arte e Ammobiliamento, a museum of the arts and furnishings, some original to the palazzina, others brought from the former Savoia residences of Moncalieri and Venaria Reale. Stupinigi has the most important collection of Piedmontese furniture, including works by Turin's three most famous Royal cabinet-makers, Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo, Pietro Piffetti and Luigi Prinotti. Some of the sculptures of hunting figures are by Giovanni Battista Bernero. Additionally, temporary exhibitions are held in its galleries, such as the Mostra del Barocco (1963).

Anna Caterina Gilli was active as a decorative painter at the palace.

Location : Palazzina Della Caccia Di Stupinigi

Palazzina della caccia di Stupinigi (1)

The Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi ("The hunting residence of Stupinigi") is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy in northern Italy, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. Built as a royal hunting lodge in the early 18th century, it is located in Stupinigi, a suburb of the town of Nichelino, 10 km (6 mi) southwest of Turin.

The original castle was owned by the Acaja line of the House of Savoy, Lords of Piedmont until 1418, and was sold to marquis Rolando Pallavicino in 1493. It was then acquired by Emmanuel Philibert in 1563, when the ducal capital was moved from Chambéry to Turin.  

Today the Palace of Stupinigi houses the Museo di Arte e Ammobiliamento, a museum of the arts and furnishings, some original to the palazzina, others brought from the former Savoia residences of Moncalieri and Venaria Reale. Stupinigi has the most important collection of Piedmontese furniture, including works by Turin's three most famous Royal cabinet-makers, Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo, Pietro Piffetti and Luigi Prinotti. Some of the sculptures of hunting figures are by Giovanni Battista Bernero. Additionally, temporary exhibitions are held in its galleries, such as the Mostra del Barocco (1963). 

Location : Palazzina Della Caccia Di Stupinigi

Dalì At Stupinigi

Salvador Dalì The Exhibition at the Palazzina Della Caccia of Stupinigi.

It is held in the ancient kitchen of the hunting palace at Stupinigi, the visitors will have the pleasure of admiring a unique exhibition of its kind, a new collection for the city of Turin, which exhibits various aspects of Dalì's artistic production, consisting of monumental sculptures, bronzes, books illustrated and glassware.

Advertised as :  Dalì's most popular works, the different aspects of his artistic production, in a unique collection of its kind, for the first time in Turin.

Well, the exhibition does sound exciting and interesting, but after visiting, I found it rather plain and lacking.

 

Not sure whether it is because of the lack of interesting exhibited pieces or the unexciting arrangement of the exhibition, it lacks of a flow to follow through the various aspects of the artist's artistic production and lacks of a spark to excit the visitor's interest.

It is like looking at some side products of some of the artist's more famous works, without showing a single piece of the famous paintings.

It is like looking at some conceptural ideas of his masterpieces and try to recall how those masterpieces actually look like and imagine the link between them.

The entrance full price is 18 euro, just for the exhibition, 11.50 euro with a subscribed annual museum card. It doesn't seem worth it.

Location : Palazzina della Caccia Stupinigi