Palace of Venaria Admission Tickets

Back in the 16th century, Savoy prices liked to hunt in the estates that surround the Palace of Venaria, near Turin. The princes would send their hounds chasing after stags in the moorland, which formed the roots of this residence. In fact, 'Venaria' comes from the Latin 'venari,' meaning 'to hunt.' To make this a base for their princely pastime, Duke Carlo Emanuele II commissioned this palace to be built between 1658 and 1679. By the turn of the 18th century, the grand buildings of the Baroque palace and the formal French gardens fell into disuse. They were converted into military barracks during Napoleon's reign and belonged to the Italian military until 1978. The palace was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, renovated, and opened to the public in 2007.

During your visit, check out the permanent display, entitled “Theater of History and Magnificence,” that takes visitors on a 1.2 mile-long walk through the ground floor and the piano nobile (main floor) of the Royal Palace. Walk through the 17th-century Hall of Diana, the Great Gallery, and the solemn Church of St. Hubert. Explore the charming apartments of the Duchess Maria Giovanna Battista of Savoy-Nemours. Browse through Prince Eugene of Savoy’s refined collection of paintings, which now grace the walls of the apartment of Princess Ludovica, the sister of Duke Charles Emmanuel II. The current collection consists of 60 works dating back to the 17th century, including masterpieces by Reni, Albani, Cignani, Van Dyck, Brueghel, and other Flemish and Dutch masters.

The permanent exhibition ends with a section titled “Lights and Shadows: Restoration in Progress.” Get an overview of the Palace’s history over the last two centuries here, including the military phase and the subsequent decay. Learn about the ensuing cultural debate on the recovery and the use of the complex, the restoration projects and the rebirth during the late 1990s.