Piedmont's museums and castles expand visiting hours and days

The Regional Directorate of Museums for Piedmont is expanding visiting hours and days at several museum sites through October.

“After this first month in which special visiting arrangements were experimented with due to the health emergency,” commented director Enrica Pagella, “we decided to introduce a gradual extension of the schedule, comforted by the interest and enthusiasm shown by the public. In this unusual summer, marked by the inevitable drop in arrivals from abroad and oriented more than in the past to proximity tourism, it seemed appropriate to us not only to increase days and hours of entry, but also to include theopening of spaces generally barred to visitors, such as the Appartamento di Mezzanotte in Palazzo Carignano, which completes the splendor of the visit to the Guarini building with the superb Baroque interventions that triumph in some rooms.”

“In fact, the city museums have opted to open extraordinarily on Mondays, usually a day of museum closure,” he added, “thinking precisely of those who should choose Turin as a weekend destination, while in the territory, in addition to adding other days alongside Saturdays and Sundays, the interruptions of entrances around lunchtime have been eliminated, or reduced as much as possible, since these are places that often presuppose special trips.”

Until October 31, in addition to the already scheduled opening days, in Turin, the Princes’ Apartments at Palazzo Carignano will also welcome visitors every first and third Monday of the month, during the hours of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with last entry at 1 p.m. During the same period, during the usual weekend opening hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., visits are extended to the Appartamento di Mezzanotte, where it is possible to admire some rooms, usually closed to the public, characterized by splendid frescoes painted at the end of the 17th century by the Lombard painter Stefano Maria Legnani, known as Legnanino, together with his workshop.

Villa della Regina, also in the city, will add to its opening days every Monday until Oct. 5: it will thus be accessible 7 days a week, in a 10 a.m.-6 p.m. time slot with last admission at 5 p.m.

And again, the museum complex of Agliè Castle will be open on Sundays until Sept. 13, with extended hours to admire the halls of the imposing manor house, including entrances at 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. A place characterized by the richness of the decorative apparatus and the collections housed here, from the archaeological antiquities desired by Charles Felix and his consort Maria Christina of Bourbon-Naples to the oriental objects acquired by Tomaso of Savoy-Genoa during his travels. In September, the mid-day interruption returns, but from September 17 to October 22 there is an extraordinary Thursday opening, according to the 9-12/14-19 schedule that already punctuates access to the tour route on days when there are no regular opening hours. Currently, spaces inside the Castle are open from Friday to Sunday, while the Gardens, closed only on Mondays, can be visited from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with last entry at 6 p.m.

Also new, until Oct. 31, are the castles in the Cuneo area. Racconigi Castle opts for extended hours for the Park on Saturdays and Sundays: from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with last entry at 6 p.m., visitors can enjoy the picturesque green area behind the majestic building. Thursday and Friday will remain suspended during the central hours. Also, from Thursday to Sunday, during the hours of 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., the opening of the tour inside the castle continues, in a succession of rooms in which refined 18th-century decorations alternate with the results of the stylistic renewal implemented in the19th century by Pelagio Palagi commissioned by Charles Albert, alongside significant works and testimonies related to the frequent stays made by the royal family in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, at the time of Victor Emmanuel III and Queen Elena, Crown Prince Umberto and his consort Maria José. The Castle of Serralunga d’Alba, on the other hand, also becomes accessible on Fridays through guided tours departing every 45 minutes, in the morning from 10:30 a.m. and in the afternoon from 2:30 p.m., as is also the case on Saturday and Sunday.

In the province of Alessandria, the Fortress of Gavi expands its calendar of openings with new weekend dates: Saturday, Sept. 5, Sept. 12, Oct. 3 during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 23, Sept. 13, Oct. 11 during the hours of 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; always with last visit at 5:30 p.m.

Although defined for the summer season, the variations applied will still be maintained in the early fall, as part of a broader program of activities that will offer additional events starting in September.

In addition to the museums, Moncalieri Castle and Vezzolano Abbey are also open.

All info on hours, tickets and reservations are available at www.polomusealepiemonte.beniculturali.it.

Pictured is the Castle of Agliè. Ph.Credit

Piedmont's museums and castles expand visiting hours and days

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.