Palazzo Madama - Turin Museum of Ancient Art

Located in the heart of Turin, Palazzo Madama is one of Piedmont's most representative monumental buildings and sums up the entire history of the city: from a Roman gate, it was transformed in the Middle Ages into a fortress and then into the castle of the princes of Achaia, until the construction of the imposing façade by Filippo Juvarra in the 18th century. The palace is named after the two royal ladies who lived there: Christina of France (1606 - 1663) and Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy Nemours (1644 - 1724), who ruled the Duchy of Savoy as regents after the death of their husbands.
Since 1934, it has housed the Museo Civico d'Arte Antica, with a permanent collection of more than 70,000 works dating from the early Middle Ages to the Baroque: paintings, sculptures, illuminated manuscripts, majolica and porcelain, gold and silver, furniture and textiles.
The tour takes place on four floors in an itinerary through time. On the moat level the arts of the Middle Ages, with stone sculptures, mosaics, goldsmithing and access to the Medieval Garden. On the ground floor the arts from the 14th century to the Renaissance. On the first floor, in the Baroque rooms, the arts of the 1600s and 1700s, with the picture gallery and the sumptuous decorations of the royal flats. On the second floor, a collection of decorative arts from all eras. Finally, the viewing tower from which you can admire the city with a 360 degree view.
From 1861 to 1865 Palazzo Madama was the seat of the first Senate of the Kingdom of Italy.
In 1997, the architectural complex was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.