Palazzo Chiablese, located in the centre of the city of Turin, forms part of the so-called "Palazzi del Potere" (Palaces of Power), constituting the nerve centre of the command area and the Royal House of Savoy. In this regard, not far from each other, there are other buildings where the court resided and where the Savoy political power was exercised. Thanks to its position, Palazzo Chiablese is connected to Palazzo Reale by an internal passageway, while its main entrance overlooks Piazza San Giovanni. Inside, the building combines evidence of the administration of the Royal Family and their love of the arts, which lend a sumptuous tone to its rooms. The subject of many vicissitudes, Palazzo Chiablese has undergone a series of renovations over the years that have given it its current appearance. From the first royal residence of Bernardino di Savoia, Monsignor of Racconigi, the building came into the possession of Duke Carlo Emanuele I, who commissioned the esteemed military architect Ascanio Vitozzi to redesign the structure. Later, in the first half of the 17th century, it became the residence of Cardinal Maurizio di Savoia and his wife Ludovica, daughter of Vittorio Amedeo I. However, it was not until the second half of the 18th century, under the rule of King Charles Emmanuel III, that a complete architectural makeover took place, thanks to the work of the esteemed First Royal Architect Benedetto Alfieri. With his intervention, the latter gave architectural unity to the Palace, whose objective was to transform the entire block. Among the projects, the architect planned an important entrance staircase to the piano nobile and a rocaille-style decoration, thanks to the skill of selected Lugano stucco workers. However, the work was completed under the guidance of his successor, Giuseppe Battista Piacenza, and the residence was then given to Benedetto Maria Maurizio, Duke of Chiablese, from whom it then took its famous name. Later, around 1814, the palace was in the hands of the now widowed Duchess of Chiablese who then saw the property pass into the hands of King Charles Felix about ten years later. In 1851, within the walls of the residence, the birth of Margherita, daughter of Ferdinand and Maria Elisabeth of Saxony, the first queen of Italy, took place. In contemporary times, around the 1940s, the palace came under state rule; unfortunately, however, during World War II, it was attacked by large-calibre bombs that damaged the structure. Only in the 1990s, after major restoration work following the war damage, did the palace reopen to the public some of its most significant and richly furnished rooms. Among these, those on the ground floor of Palazzo Chiablese, historically used as service areas and almost devoid of decorations, host the temporary exhibitions of the Royal Museums. The exhibitions are often dedicated to great international artists and allow the visitor to take a journey through history and art, from Roman times to the 20th century. Thanks to its history and its countless protagonists, Palazzo Chiablese now houses the Regional Directorate for Cultural Heritage of Piedmont and the Superintendencies for Architectural Heritage and Landscape and for Archaeological Heritage of Piedmont and the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities.
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