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# 74 •DECEmBER 14 , 2015
The Rivoli Castle perches on a hill in the
beautiful Val di Susa at the gates of Turin.
Once the Savoy residence, new restoration work bringing the castle back to its
fully glory has given it a new lease of life
and since 1984 it houses the Museum
of Contemporary Art which hosts one of
the most updated Italian collections of
contemporary art.
History
ventions in ‘500, and in ‘600. The structure was heavily damaged by the French
army in 1693, following the fate of other
important buildings such as the Royal
Palace of Venaria. In 1700, regenerating
Rivoli became the express wish of Vittorio Amedeo II, who first called on Michelangelo Garove and then, in 1718, on
Filippo Juvarra whose actions were decisive and are still visible. However, the
latter’s project remained unfinished.
An ancient IX century fortified house, it
was gradually transformed by the Savoy
family into a magnificent private residence, expanded by subsequent inter-
The residence which was a jewel of the
House of Savoy for five centuries later
became a barracks, thus beginning a
slow decline which was only interrupted
WE THE ITALIANS | 55
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