Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano

The National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento occupies Palazzo Carignano, the Baroque palace designed by Guarino Guarini and the birthplace of Vittorio Emanuele II. Its collections trace the political and cultural history of Italian unification.

Why it matters

Founded in 1878, the museum is the only institution with the official title of National Museum of the Risorgimento. Its setting includes the Subalpine Parliament chamber, where deputies met from 1848 to 1860. The building and collections connect the history of unification with the political institutions that took shape in Turin.

What to notice

The Subalpine Parliament hall preserves the chamber used by the Kingdom of Sardinia's deputies. A second parliamentary hall was built in the courtyard between 1863 and 1871, after the capital had moved from Turin; it now serves as exhibition space. Collections include paintings, banners, weapons and personal objects associated with figures such as Cavour and Garibaldi. Palazzo Carignano's undulating brick façade is a notable work by Guarini.

Context and history

The museum began with objects relating to Vittorio Emanuele II donated to Turin by Umberto I in 1878. It was housed in the Mole Antonelliana from 1908 and later moved to Palazzo Carignano, where the Subalpine Parliament had met. The museum reopened in 2011 after restoration for the 150th anniversary of Italian unification. Its collections document the Risorgimento through objects, archives and historical materials.