Racconigi Castle
The Castello di Racconigi is a Savoy residence on Piazza Carlo Alberto in Racconigi, in the province of Cuneo; it belonged from the mid-seventeenth century to the Savoy-Carignano branch, has been state property since 1980, and since 1997 has been part of the UNESCO site of the Residenze sabaude.[1][2]
From castle to residence
Starting in 1676 Guarino Guarini transformed the medieval building into a modern residence, and its north façade is still visible today; in the mid-eighteenth century Giovanni Battista Borra completed the neoclassical south façade and the Hercules and Diana halls.[1]
Carlo Alberto
After ascending the throne in 1832, Carlo Alberto chose Racconigi as his favourite holiday residence: Ernesto Melano added the side wings, Pelagio Palagi redecorated the interiors, including the Etruscan study, and the Prussian Xavier Kurten designed the romantic park.[1] Palagi also built the Margaria, a neo-Gothic castle used for farming, between 1834 and 1843, while the royal greenhouses by Carlo Sada date from 1844-1848.[3] The park covers about 200 hectares according to the Ministry, or more than 170 according to Art Bonus.[1][3]
The twentieth century
Vittorio Emanuele III resumed modernization work in the early twentieth century, and Umberto II used the castle until the Second World War; the State purchased it in 1980.[1]
Today
In 2024 the Armoury and the permanent exhibition «Storie dal mondo in Castello» were opened, featuring more than a hundred objects from four continents, along with a restored apartment dating from the 1830s.[3][4] The Margaria reopened on 31 May 2025 after PNRR-funded works costing about two million euros.[5] Starting 6 April 2026, the «Effimera» programme brings twenty-two days of events to the park through October.[6]