Palazzo Chiablese

Palazzo Chiablese is part of Turin's royal complex beside the cathedral. Its eighteenth-century apartments preserve rococo stucco, carved woodwork and furnishings associated with the Savoy court.

Why it matters

The palace links the history of the House of Savoy with Turin's royal residences. Carlo Emanuele III granted it in 1753 to his son Benedetto Maurizio, Duke of Chiablese; architect Benedetto Alfieri then remodelled the building. Margherita di Savoia, later the first queen of united Italy, was born here in 1851. Palazzo Chiablese forms part of the UNESCO-listed Savoy Residences.

What to notice

The noble-floor interiors retain rococo stucco and carved, gilded boiseries. Furnishings associated with cabinetmaker Pietro Piffetti reflect the courtly character of the rooms. An upper gallery connects the palace with Palazzo Reale, underscoring its place within the wider royal complex. Bombing in 1943 destroyed one eighteenth-century drawing room and damaged other interiors; subsequent restoration has recovered parts of the palace's historic fabric.

Context and history

The palace belonged to the marchesa Beatrice Langosco di Stroppiana before passing to Cardinal Maurizio of Savoy in 1642. The 1753 grant to the Duke of Chiablese led to a major rebuilding by Benedetto Alfieri. Later residents included Camillo Borghese and Paolina Bonaparte during the Napoleonic period, King Carlo Felice and the family of Ferdinando of Savoy-Carignano. The building suffered serious damage in the 1943 bombing of Turin and later became part of the state museum complex.