Castello della Mandria

The Castle of La Mandria stands within the wooded estate near Venaria Reale. Developed in the nineteenth century for Vittorio Emanuele II, it became a private royal residence associated with the king and Rosa Vercellana.

Why it matters

La Mandria offers a different image of Savoy royal life from the ceremonial palace at Venaria. Its expansion in the 1860s created a secluded residence for Vittorio Emanuele II and Rosa Vercellana. The castle is included among the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy on UNESCO's World Heritage List, inscribed in 1997.

What to notice

The extensive brick complex is arranged around three internal courtyards. Its nineteenth-century expansion includes the neo-Gothic wing known as the Villa of the Lakes and a fountain by Vincenzo Vela. The architectural scale contrasts with the residence's wooded setting and earlier use as a hunting estate.

Context and history

A building associated with the royal estate existed in the woodland by the eighteenth century; Filippo Juvarra worked on the structure in the 1720s. Vittorio Emanuele II expanded the complex from 1860, with designers including Ernesto Melano. The Villa of the Lakes wing and Vela's fountain date to the early 1860s; Domenico Ferri designed apartments for Rosa Vercellana's family. After the king's death, the estate passed to the Medici del Vascello family in the 1880s. The castle later entered public ownership and became part of the UNESCO-listed Savoy residences.