Castello Ducale, Agliè, Italy

Agliè's main attraction is its Castello Ducale, one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Dating from the 12th century, it was originally a possession of the counts of San Martino. In the 17th century, it was turned into a rich residence by count Filippo d'Agliè, but was ravaged during the French invasion of 1706.

In 1765 it was acquired by Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy and sold to his son Benedetto of Savoy who had it radically renewed ten years later, under design by Ignazio Birago di Bòrgaro. Thenceforth it was a summer residence for the Kings of Sardinia. It was sold to the Italian state in 1939.

It has a monumental façade with two stairs and a fountain; the interior includes 300 rooms, mostly provided with contemporary furniture. The castle is surrounded by large English- and Italian-style gardens. It was used as the location for the Italian series Elisa di Rivombrosa as Rivombrosa.

References:

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User Reviews

Kabogera Huwag ako (7 months ago)
Just passing here for awhile coz the castle is busy for other event but outside this area is quite good and nice ? I hope I could see inside the castle but looks good ?

S L (10 months ago)
Beautiful castle with a great guide. The tour is in Italian, but we used Google Translate to make the most out of it.

Monica Widman (14 months ago)
Thoroughly enjoyed it, maybe as much as the Royal palace in Turin, beautiful, furniture, chandeliers, statues, curtains. We'll have to return to see the gardens which were closed for renovation.

Israel Madera (2 years ago)
Amazing, amazing, and amazing! It's a beautiful castle, and the gardens are incredible. I would highly recommend you give yourself plenty of time to enjoy this place - one hour is not enough. The castle is incredible, and when you get to the gardens, you will simply want to take your time to stroll around and enjoy everything. We went in November in the middle of the week, and our group was huge, which made it more enjoyable.

Sharon Zindany (2 years ago)
The castle is very beautiful and impressive. During our visit it was closed to visitors and only the small garden next to it was open. We Received a disgusting and condescending attitude from the salesman who refused to understand that we are tourists who do not speak Italian. He didn't agree to explain anything and barely agreed to sell tickets that were expensive for just a tour of the garden. If the castle is not open, you can content yourself with looking from the outside.

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The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.

The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.

Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.

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