Stupinigi's Palazzina di Caccia opens secret spaces not normally visited to the public

From Sept. 3 to Nov. 26, 2022, the Ordine Mauriziano Foundation is organizing special guided tours to discover the secret spaces, normally not accessible to the public, of the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi. ThePonente apartment, the servants’ quarters and the Juvarrian dome are the spaces of the courtyard that tell the story of the Palazzina in its different living phases and the architectural design behind its construction.

The Passepartout guided tours open the doors to the closed rooms of the king of Carlo Felice’s Ponente apartment, awaiting restoration, with its special marine-themed decorations; leads behind secret doors to the hidden rooms of the servants, passages and corridors rich in charm and history; and finally allows visitors to reach the top of Juvarra’s dome, to walk along the evocative balconies overlooking the central hall, to look closely at Juvarra’s inverted boat roof with its intricate wooden warping, and to admire from above, after walking up the fifty steps of the narrow spiral staircase, a panorama that stretches 360° below the deer, the symbol of the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi.

The King’s Closed Rooms is the name of the guided tour scheduled for Sept. 3, Oct. 1, Nov. 5-6 and 12 at the Ponente apartment. Opposed to the specular Levante apartment, the apartment awaiting restoration is the set of rooms that belonged to King Charles Felix and Duchess Christina of Bourbon. The spaces were expanded under the direction of Benedetto Alfieri in the 18th century to accommodate the rooms of Victor Emmanuel, duke of Aosta and son of King Victor Amadeus III. The apartment opens at the entrance with an atrium distinguished by two marble statues by the Collino brothers representing Meleager and Atalanta, respectively. The next two antechambers are distinguished by decoration from the second half of the 18th century attributable to the school of Cignaroli with scenes of hunting and rural life. All the overporters in the rooms depicting Marines, dated 1755, can be traced to the manner of Francesco Antoniani. In the bedrooms the Murano glass chandeliers with cornucopia arms date from the late 18th century as do the carved and lacquered beds. The fireplaces throughout the apartment are in Valdieri marble, the floor in Venetian seminato.

Behind the Secret Doors is the tour scheduled for Sept. 10, Oct. 8 and 29-30, and Nov. 19 to the servants’ quarters, the secret passages and corridors used to escape into the maze of rooms and discreetly reach the private rooms and apartments. The tour leads right behind the secret doors, into the hidden spaces where servants moved about and where the painting of the automatic doorbells still stands, giving an up-close understanding of the workings of a residence like Stupinigi.

Under the Stag, scheduled for Sept. 17 and Sept. 24-25, Oct. 15, and Nov. 26, is an exclusive visit to the wooden environment that houses the dome of the central pavilion, created by Filippo Juvarra, with a 360-degree view of the surrounding landscape. From the double-height oval central hall, one walks fifty steps to reach the characteristic concave-convex balcony and finally arrives, via a narrow spiral staircase of another fifty steps, at the top of Juvarra’s dome to admire the extraordinary pavilion roof supported by a complex wooden frame and recognize from above Juvarra’s grand architectural design, which with perfect geometries, along a longitudinal axis that leads with the eye all the way to Turin, creates an extraordinary scenic layout for the time.

Reservations are required to participate in the guided tours.

Given the special nature of the places covered by the tour, which are not normally accessible to the public, for the “Behind the Secret Doors” and “Under the Deer” routes, visitors will be provided with protective helmets; for this reason, only adults and children over the age of 12 can enter. To participate, you must be in good health and in a physical condition to walk up a few flights of stairs. You must wear comfortable clothing and closed footwear, such as sneakers or light hiking shoes. Access with bulky bags and/or backpacks is prohibited. It is necessary not to suffer from heart disease. Due to the limited spaces, which are not accessible to people with disabilities, and the narrow spiral staircase, the two tours are not recommended for those who suffer from claustrophobia or vertigo and, in general, for those who are not in good health.

“Passepartout” guided tours are scheduled exclusively on the marked days at 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Duration: about one hour. The cost of the ticket to access the tours “The King’s Closed Rooms” and “Behind the Secret Doors” is 17 euros, for “Under the Deer” 20 euros.

Reservations required at: 011 6200633, Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., by the Friday before the visit.

Calendar

The King’s Closed Rooms - Visit to the Ponente Apartment.

Saturday, Sept. 3, 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 1, 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 5, 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 6, 10:30 a.m., noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 12, 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Behind the secret doors - Visit to the servants’ quarters and corridors

Saturday, Sept. 10, 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 8, 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 29, 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 30, 10:30 a.m., noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 19, 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Under the deer - Visit to the Juvarra dome

Saturday, Sept. 17, 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 24, 10:30 a.m., 12 noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 25, 10:30 a.m., noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 15, 10:30 a.m., noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 26, 10:30 a.m., noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

For info: www.ordinemauriziano.it

Photos by Paris Orlando

Stupinigi's Palazzina di Caccia opens secret spaces not normally visited to the public

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