See Royal Palace of Turin (Palazzo Reale), Italy (UNESCO site)

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Royal Palace of Turinor Palazzo Reale, is a palace in Turin, northern Italy. It was the royal palace of the House of Savoy. It was modernised greatly by the French born Madama Reale Christine Marie of France (1606-1663) in the seventeenth century. The palace was worked on by Filippo Juvarra. It includes thePalazzo Chiablese. In the reign of Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy (1528-1580), the site was once part of an old Bishops palace in the center of the new capital of Savoy, Turin. From this palace, the Duke was able to monitor the two entrances of the city - the Palatine and Pretoria gates. The old palace in Turin was thus abandoned and had previously been the residence of the French Viceroys of Savoy who were appointed by Francis I of France having captured Savoy 1536. Opposite the bishops palace was thePalazzo Vecchioor thePalazzo di San Giovanni. These would later be swallowed up by the grander Ducal Palace. The palace was overshadowed by the Palazzina di caccia di Stupinigi later on; when the Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia married Maria Adelaide of Austria, the palace once again saw some life with the redecoration of some rooms. In 1946, the palace was claimed by the Italian Republic and made aMuseum of the life and works of the House of Savoy. Its rooms are decorated with rich tapestries and a collection of Chinese and Japanese vases. The Royal Armory houses an extensive array of arms, including examples from the 16th and 17th centuries. TheScala delle Forbiciis a much-admired staircase by Filippo Juvarra. The Chapel of the Holy Shroud, with its spiral dome, was built in the west wing of the palace, joining the apse of the cathedral of St. John the Baptist, to house the famous Shroud of Turin which belonged to the family from 1453 until 1946.

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