Royal Residences up for responsible tourism award

TURIN, Italy (eTN) – The Royal Residences in Turin and the Piedmont region in Italy are a complex but unified dynasty of wealth, built around the capital of the state in 1563 at the behest of the late Savoy royal family. Turin is the heart of this heritage of palaces, vineyards, villas, and castles – a complex of royal residences, theater of refined court life, and a stately testament to the power acquired by the House of Savoy up to the date of its existence in 1946.

The ancient buildings were joined over the centuries by magnificent royal residences designed by leading architects of the time. At the command center in Turin, places of leisure and pleasure were added along the rivers and in the hills in the surrounding countryside. The construction of opulent maisons de plaisance (leisure houses) between the 16th and 18th century, was the result of an architectural design in mind – to create a “Crown of Delights” (according to the famous definition of Amedeo di Castellamonte in 1672) that was surrounding the city.

Today, the definition of “Crown of Delights” refers to the complex of historic homes with their gardens, estates, furniture, and collections, which from the leisure court opens to the public with unique individuality, rediscovering the ancient purpose and discovering new vocations. Probably no other city in Europe has around it a number of parks, rivers, royal residences, and agricultural land, as Turin.

Visitors are recommended not to miss the 17th century Italian-style gardens of the Villa della Regina, great views of the French garden with the Reggia (royal palace) of Venaria, the 18th century gardens of the Royal Palace, the Palazzina di Stupinigi, the Castle of Aglie, and the great 19th century Racconigi and Pollenzo parks.

All the Savoy residences and theatre of court life are a unique example in Europe, and were declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1997; these include: Palazzo Reale-Royal Polo in Turin; Palazzo Reale in Turin, Chiablese Palace-Royal Pole in Turin; Command Zone (Royal Armoury, the Royal Library, Archives Court (now State Archives), home court, Facade of the Theatre Regio, Reggie Ministries (current buildings of the Prefecture), Military Academy (current offices Ministry of Defence), Royal Riding currently the Royal Military Academy, Royal Mint (current buildings of the City for use by police forces); Palazzo Madama and Palazzo Carignano, Villa della Regina, Valentino Castle, Ducal Castle of Agliè; Venaria, the Castle Village Herd; Rivoli Castle; Hunting Palace of Stupinigi Castle and Park of Racconigi, Moncalieri Castle; and Royal Estate of Pollenzo, Govone Castle.

The Piedmont region in recent years has launched an ambitious project called “Green Wreath” involving 93 municipalities whose aim is to find a common thread for the redevelopment of the metropolitan area of Turin. One of the most hardworking of Corona Verde tied to the system of royal residences is “Crown of delights by Bicycle,” namely the creation of a cycle ring of more than 90 km, offering the opportunity to appreciate the natural beauty along the urban parks and the historical and architectural wealth represented by the Royal Residences, thanks to the bicycle, a soft transport that allows one to retrieve a balanced and serene relation with the territory.

The main circuit consists of cycle paths, cycle roads, greenways, and rural roads, to which are added other secondary routes, historic variants reaching the castles of Moncalieri, Rivoli, the Herd, Stupinigi, the Royal Palace and Castelvecchio, Abbey of Stura, the Villa of the Queen, and the tramway leading to the Basilica of Superga.

In order to facilitate tourists to visit the Royal Residences in Turin and Piedmont, Turismo Torino e Province authorities have organized tourism facilities that help the visitor and accompany him to the “residences system” to enable them to enjoy the beauty of these sites while respecting standards of accountability and sustainability.

Tours

Royal Bike Tour by bicycles that foresee a stop at the following royal residences: Polo Reale, Palazzo Madama, Palazzo Carignano, Valentino Castle, Villa della Reginam and Hunting Palace of Stupinigi.

City Sightseeing Turin that will allow through its three different routes, comfortably seated, to enjoy the old town and the most modern side of Turin reaching the Royal Residences, the Polo Reale, Villa della Regina, Valentino Castle (bus line A), the Hunting Palace of Stupinigi (bus line B), and the Venaria, the Castle of the Herd and Castello di Rivoli (bus line C). All buses are equipped with a digital audio system with multi-lingual commentary in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Portuguese.

Merenda reale (royal pick-nick) evocation of the ritual afternoon gastronomic break as it was proposed in the 18th and 19th centuries using the raw materials of the period in view of the preservation of the food culture of the courts of Savoy.

In addition, the City of Turin to promote Turin as a “responsible” destination has created a map called “Walk To” that in addition to providing guidance on how to explore the city on foot targeted a focus related to routes around the historic center’s cycling paths or walking to reach some royal residences (Castle of Rivoli, Venaria, and Palazzina di Stupinigi).

Turismo Torino and Provincia are candidates for the Italian Responsible Tourism (TRI) Award 2015 for the category Public/Private Body.

The 2015 edition of the TRI – Responsible Tourism assigns awards to Italian tour operators, travel agencies, accommodation, tourism organizations, and event organizers. The awards will be handed out by the daily L’Agenzia di Viaggi on September 19 at the Palazzo della Ragione in Padua, during the World Tourism Expo (WTE).