CASTELLO DUCALE DI AGLIÈ

Located in Agliè, in the province of Turin, the Castle is an elegant and majestic construction. Its current appearance is the result of the fusion of four major construction phases and is surrounded by gardens and a large park. The original nucleus of the Castle dates back to the 13th century, but the medieval structure was incorporated into the large residence that Duke Filippo di San Martino had built in the mid 17th century; a vast geometric garden surrounded the residence, which was already embellished with finely decorated greenhouses. In 1764 the complex was purchased by Charles Emmanuel III for his cadet son Benedetto Maria Maurizio, Duke of Chiablese: thus began for the Castle a new building and decorative season under the direction of the architect Ignazio Birago of Borgaro, who enlarged the area facing the village, also building the Church and the connecting Gallery, known as 'delle Tribune'. The park was structured geometrically and was embellished by the scenic 'horseshoe' fountain, the first work of the Collino brothers. In the years 1825-1849, the Castle and the Park underwent the renovation desired by King Charles Felix and his consort Maria Cristina, who created the small Theatre and the new layout of the Royal Apartment. In 1939, the Castle was sold to the State, which entrusted its restoration and management to the Superintendence for Architectural Heritage and Landscape of Piedmont. Surrounded by a park with centuries-old trees and large greenhouses, the castle has more than 300 rooms with a precious and heterogeneous heritage of furnishings and collections, ranging from paintings to archaeological finds and surprising ornithological and oriental collections. It is surrounded by an Italian-style garden, the Giardino delle Terrazze or Hanging Garden, the 18th-century Garden that houses the Fountain of the Four Rivers, the Park and the English Garden. The Castle has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997.

Tickets for the Castle, both for individuals and groups, can be purchased online at www.museiitaliani.it or via the Italian Museums app.
Access to the Castle is not guaranteed without the purchase of a ticket: booking required at this link without pre-sale costs.