Palazzo Salmatoris

Palazzo Salmatoris is a seventeenth-century residence in Cherasco associated with two landmark diplomatic episodes: the settlement of the Mantuan succession war in 1631 and the Armistice of Cherasco in 1796.

Why it matters

The palace became a setting for negotiations between European powers. The 1631 agreements ending the War of the Mantuan and Montferrat Succession and the 1796 armistice approved after Napoleon's campaign connected this provincial residence with wider political change.

What to notice

The building retains the character of a Baroque noble residence, with an arcaded ground floor and reception rooms. A room known as the del Silenzio is associated with the Shroud of Turin, which was kept there in 1706; Sebastiano Taricco painted frescoes for the occasion. Later restoration preserved the historic salons while adapting them for cultural use.

Context and history

The Salmatoris family built the palace in the early seventeenth century; tradition dates the commission to around 1620. Cherasco's position between the Tanaro and Alpine routes made it a setting for diplomacy. In 1631 representatives negotiated the settlement of the Mantuan succession war. Napoleon stayed at the palace during the Armistice of Cherasco in April 1796. The Comune purchased the building in 1983 and restored it for cultural use.