Piedmont · Torino
Venaria Reale
A Savoy town on the edge of Torino, built around the Reggia di Venaria, a UNESCO baroque palace with sixty hectares of gardens.
Known for
THE REGGIA
UNESCO baroque palace, 80,000 square meters of floors and 60 hectares of gardens, the largest of the Savoy Residences.
THE RESTORATION
Eight-year project from 1999 to 2007, 1,800 operators on site, the largest cultural restoration in European Union history.
LA MANDRIA
Three thousand fenced hectares of former Savoy hunting reserve, the country park that extends north from the palace gardens.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Why come
Venaria Reale sits fifteen kilometers northwest of Torino, on the lowland that ran into the Savoy hunting forests of the Mandria. The modern name comes from the Latin ars venatoria, hunting. In 1658 Duke Carlo Emanuele II commissioned court architect Amedeo di Castellamonte to build a residence for hunting parties and court leisure, with a coordinated plan for palace, park, hunting wood and adjoining village.
In 1716 Filippo Juvarra enlarged the complex with the Galleria Grande, the Cappella di Sant'Uberto, the Citroniera and the Scuderia, lifting the Reggia to one of the major baroque set pieces of Europe. The Savoy Residences entered the UNESCO list in 1997. After two centuries as a military barracks the palace was restored across eight years from 1999 to 2007, in the largest cultural restoration project in European Union history, with 1,800 operators on site. The Reggia now opens eighty thousand square meters of floor surface and sixty hectares of gardens, with the three thousand fenced hectares of the Parco della Mandria beyond.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Venaria Reale’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Reggia di Venaria
UNESCO baroque palace begun in 1658 by Amedeo di Castellamonte for Duke Carlo Emanuele II, with 80,000 m² of floors and 60 hectares of gardens.
Galleria Grande
Filippo Juvarra's barrel-vaulted gallery of 1716, one of the longest enfilades of baroque court architecture in Europe.
Cappella di Sant'Uberto
Royal chapel designed by Juvarra inside the palace, completed in the second decade of the eighteenth century for the hunting court.
Giardini della Reggia
Sixty hectares of restored gardens combining baroque parterres, the Fountain of Hercules and the Renaissance-style Potager Royal.
Parco Naturale La Mandria
Three thousand fenced hectares of former Savoy hunting reserve, with the Castello della Mandria of King Vittorio Emanuele II inside.
The slow-trip planner
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We recommend
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to — a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Dolce Stil Novo alla ReggiaRistorante
Dolce Stil Novo alla Reggia has one Michelin star and two Gambero Rosso forks (86/100).
Il Convito della VenariaRistorante
Il Convito della Venaria holds a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Living here
- Population 32,288
- Commuter belti
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Turin, 23 min drive
- Regional capital Torino, 28 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 269 m
- Population: 32,288
- Surface area: 20.44 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Close by
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🏛️ UNESCO
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