Piazza di Trevi - Piazzas of Italy by Ultimate Italy

Piazza Castello (Castle Square)

This piazza or city square is lined with porticoes and is the heart of the city. It is a symbol of the greatness and the heritage of Turin. It displays the city’s long history from a Roman gate to modern skyscrapers.

In 1564 Carlo Emmanuelle I commissioned the architect Ascanio Vittozi to design this square. This piazza is also a showpiece for three very famous architects whose structures form a homogenous blend of baroque and rococo. Amedeo di Castellamonte designed the Palazzo Reale, Guarino Guarini designed the church of San Lorenzo and Juvarra designed the Palazzo Madama.

The Palazzo Madama is at the center of the square. The Palazzo Reale, the Palazzo della Prefettura and the Armeria Reale, the Teatro Regio and several famous cafes and bars surround it.

The Palazzo Madama is medieval in origin. However many additions and extensions have been added to it especially the façade by Fillipo Juvarra. He was commissioned to do so by the House of Savoy. It now houses the Civic Museum of Ancient Art.

The Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) was the royal seat of the House of Savoy from 1660 to 1885. It is furnished with period furniture from the seventeenth and eighteenth century. The Royal gardens are also definitely worth a visit.

The Teatro Regio

Although Vittorio Amedeo II commissioned Juvarra to build the Teatro Regio in the beginning of the eighteenth century, it was designed and built by the architect Benedetto Alfieri in 1740. It is a prominent opera house and opera company in Turin and many prestigious shows have been conducted here through the centuries.

The Armeria Reale is of Europe’s best arms museums. Carlo Alberto founded it in 1837. It has many rare and unique firearms from medieval arms to weapons from the Risorgimento period to Napoleonic relics as well as arms, which belonged to the House of Savoy. It also has a prestigious collection of oriental weapons.

The bars and cafes of Turin played an important political role in the nineteenth century as negotiations for the unification of Italy sometimes took place in them. Mulassano Bar and Baratti e Milano café are famous in this piazza especially for white or red vermouth.

Piazza Castello is one of the main areas where the Olympic medals were awarded to the athletes as the medals plaza was set up in the center of the square in front of Palazzo Reale. Before the awards ceremony there were many dramatic and musical performances by world famous performers at this piazza.