Parco naturale di Stupinigi

The Stupinigi Nature Park protects a broad landscape of woods, meadows, wetlands and working farms south-west of Turin. Its historic centre is the Palazzina di caccia, around which the House of Savoy once organised mounted hunts across the plain.

Why it matters

The park preserves a rare lowland mosaic in the Po plain, now surrounded by suburbs and farmland. It is part of the Natura 2000 network and extends across Nichelino, Candiolo, Orbassano and Vinovo. Its landscape helps explain the setting of the Savoy hunting palace and the long straight routes that once served the court.

What to notice

The landscape alternates between woodland, meadows, fields and wet areas. The old royal hunting roads, known as rotte, still mark the plain with straight lines. Six historic farmsteads remain within the park, including Gorgia, Chiabotto del Beccaio, Bozzalla, Parpaglia, Piniere and Vicomanino. Near the Stupinigi settlement are remains of Castelvecchio, a medieval fortified complex associated with the Savoia-Acaia.

Context and history

The Savoys assembled this landscape around the Palazzina as a game reserve for chasse à courre, or mounted hunting with hounds. As the court's hunting traditions faded and urban development expanded around Turin, the area became a focus of conservation. It is now a regional natural park managed by the Ente di gestione delle aree protette dei Parchi Reali and forms part of a Natura 2000 protected area. The park's precise founding chronology and perimeter have varied among published accounts; its present area is generally described as about 1,600 hectares.