The Rivoli Castle, 15 km from Turin, is a historic building inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and setting for the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Created from a fortress dating to 1245, the castle began its path to becoming a residence in 1559 with Duke Emanuel Filiberto I of Savoy. The complex, which has undergone various remodelling and extension works over time, has a main structure on a rectangular base, rising up three storeys. Adjacent to it, an independent, lower building – the manica lunga – is connected to the castle by a pedestrian walkway.
Work on its construction was interrupted in 1734 because of the expense: this can be seen in the unfinished entrance, in the cut of some bricks and a staircase left with only one flight of steps. The castle became a municipal casino in 1946, Vittorio De Sica was a notable habitue.
Restoration work carried out by the Regione Piemonte towards the end of the 1900s preserved the traces of the structure’s entire life while also installing panoramic glass and modern elements, creating a continuous dialogue between past and present.
Inside the rooms are elegant and sumptuous, with historic frescoes and decorations, a chapel and its sacristy. Using transparent materials, restoration work transformed the manica lunga into a modern exhibition structure, 147m long and 6m wide, with outside stairs and elevators.
Film Commission Torino Piemonte
Via Cagliari 42 — 10153 Torino
Phone: +39 011 2379201
Fax: +39 011 2379298
Email: info@fctp.it
