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:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Kabogera Huwag ako (21 days 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 (4 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 (8 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 (10 months 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 (12 months 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.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Staffan O Andersson

Historic Site of the week

Gamla Uppsala Church

The stone church of Gamla Uppsala, built over the pagan temple, dates from the early 12th century. Due to fire and renovations, the present church is only a remnant of the original cathedral.

Before the arrival of Christianity in Sweden, Gamla Uppsala was the seat of Swedish kings and a ceremonial site known all over northern Europe. The settlement was home to royal palaces, a royal burial ground, and a great pagan temple. The Uppsala temple, which was described in detail by Adam of Bremen in the 1070s, housed wooden statues of the Norse gods Odin, Thor and Freyr. A golden chain hung across its gables and the inside was richly decorated with gold. The temple had priests, who sacrificed to the gods according to the needs of the people.

The first Christian cathedral was probably built in the 11th century, but finished in the 12th century. The stone building may have been preceded by a wooden church and probably by the large pagan temple.

Castello Ducale

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Gamla Uppsala Church