THE CASTLE

Under the watchful gaze of the telamons supporting the grand staircase, one enters the spacious atrium from which the castle tour begins. Two twin staircases on either side of the atrium lead to the main floor. Taking the one on the east side, you arrive at the Queen’s apartments, separate but connected to the King’s apartments. Both feature elegant wooden floors crafted by the cabinetmaker Bonzanigo and his team.

Continuing on, you encounter the Grand Prior’s hall, adorned with elegant 18th-century stucco work, the Chinese rooms, named for the rare Chinese wallpapers adorning the walls, and finally, the grand hall, where a pictorial reproduction of the Niobe sculptural group captivates with its trompe l’oeil technique.

The Royal Castle of Govone is part of the circuit of the Savoy Royal Residences, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997. Discovering its rooms is a true journey through time, from the 18th century to the present day.

In the course of the tour, you will encounter evocative suggestions and narratives on multiple levels. The spirit of experimentation has characterized these walls since their early days, thanks to the visionary thinking of the first owners, the Solaro Counts. They were brilliant diplomats, avant-garde thinkers, and authentic talent scouts. It was thanks to them that Juvarra made a stop in Govone before arriving in Turin. They hosted Jean-Jacques Rousseau and contributed to his education even before he became famous. They maintained relationships with French philosophers such as Montesquieu and Voltaire and decorated an entire apartment with Chinese wallpapers before anyone else.

After the Solaro family, in the 19th century, the royal family, with Carlo Felice of Savoy and Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Naples, found in my walls an ideal vacation residence. Thanks to their passion for art and the skilled craftsmen of the time, they explored new tastes and decorative techniques, leaving masterpieces like the Hall of Honor as their legacy to humanity.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Municipality of Govone acquired the castle, turning it into a home, a school, and a community space for all the people of Govone. It is these very people who still strive to keep it alive and accessible through culture, art, music, and tourism.