La Mandria di Venaria. The Apartments of Vittorio Emanuele II

The great hunting reserve bordering on the Venaria Royal Residence became the private retreat of King Vittorio Emanuele II and Rosa Vercellana, known as "la Bela Rosin," in the second half of the nineteenth century. It had been set up in the 1700s on approximately 1000 hectares of plains and woodlands. In the latter 1800s Mandria castle was enriched by the construction of Neo-Gothic and eclectic-style buildings and the interiors of the royal apartment were renovated and decorated along the liens of a style that reflected king's free, down-to-earth, and laid-back personality. Mandria park is part of a great restoration project that encompasses the Venaria Royal Residence and its old city center. This volume is being published in a completely up-dated edition that takes into account the renovation work that has been done so far on the restoration of the ceiling and the decorative apparatus of the royal apartment and on the farmhouses located in the park. This volume offers visitors the history of Mandria from the 1700s to the present day, a guided itinerary for visiting the royal apartment, a guide of the park's farmhouses and other buildings, and a presentation of an exhibit dedicated to the Medici del Vascello family, the last owners of park before it was purchased by Piedmont Region.

Francesco Pernice is superintendent for Architectural and Landscape Resources of Piedmont Region and former director of Moncalieri castle.