Description
The Castello del Valentino is a Savoy residence on the banks of the Po, in the Valentino park, in the French style: steep pitched roofs, a cobbled court of honor and frescoed interiors. Since 1997 it has been part of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and today it houses the Politecnico's Department of Architecture.
The castle owes its form to Christine of France, the Madama Reale, who received it as a wedding gift and turned it into a French-style maison de plaisance, with work directed first by Carlo di Castellamonte and then by his son Amedeo.
On the first floor are the frescoed rooms. The Sala dello Zodiaco, the Room of the Roses, that of the Birth of Flowers and the Room of the Lilies are decorated by artists from Lugano such as Isidoro Bianchi and his sons, with historical themes, alchemical symbols and flowers.
Frescoes and stuccoes celebrate the bond between the House of Savoy and France. The state rooms, such as the Sala delle Magnificenze and the Sala delle Feste, show the second phase of the works, from 1645.
At first the Valentino was a villa of the Birago family. Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy bought it in 1564, sold it again in 1565 to finance the Citadel and, on the advice of Andrea Palladio, bought it back in 1570.
The name comes from Vallantinum, a small valley, or perhaps from Saint Valentine. According to some studies, Valentine's Day was born right here: every February 14 the nobility took part in a gallant party in which each lady called her knight "Valentino".
The park around it was redesigned in 1855 through an international competition won by Jean-Baptiste Kettmann. In the 19th century the castle was occupied by soldiers and artillerymen, and in 1864 it became the home of the Regio Museo Industriale. In 1906 the School of Application for Engineers and the Museum merged: the Regio Politecnico was born, still its tenant today.
The castle owes its form to Christine of France, the Madama Reale, who received it as a wedding gift and turned it into a French-style maison de plaisance, with work directed first by Carlo di Castellamonte and then by his son Amedeo.
On the first floor are the frescoed rooms. The Sala dello Zodiaco, the Room of the Roses, that of the Birth of Flowers and the Room of the Lilies are decorated by artists from Lugano such as Isidoro Bianchi and his sons, with historical themes, alchemical symbols and flowers.
Frescoes and stuccoes celebrate the bond between the House of Savoy and France. The state rooms, such as the Sala delle Magnificenze and the Sala delle Feste, show the second phase of the works, from 1645.
At first the Valentino was a villa of the Birago family. Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy bought it in 1564, sold it again in 1565 to finance the Citadel and, on the advice of Andrea Palladio, bought it back in 1570.
The name comes from Vallantinum, a small valley, or perhaps from Saint Valentine. According to some studies, Valentine's Day was born right here: every February 14 the nobility took part in a gallant party in which each lady called her knight "Valentino".
The park around it was redesigned in 1855 through an international competition won by Jean-Baptiste Kettmann. In the 19th century the castle was occupied by soldiers and artillerymen, and in 1864 it became the home of the Regio Museo Industriale. In 1906 the School of Application for Engineers and the Museum merged: the Regio Politecnico was born, still its tenant today.