Art And History

Biandrate Castle of San Giorgio

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 13:23:38 GMT

The origins of the San Giorgio Canavese Castle are in a complex of Medieval buildings built for defensive purposes and then transformed throughout the centuries to adapt it to subsequent requirements. Normally you can distinguish a more antique building, presumably from the XII-XIV centuries, with only very few traces remaining, and a more recent one attributed to the XV-XVI centuries.

The Vercelli and Ivrea Bishops, the Monferrato Marquise and maybe even the Templars exercised their dominion on the Castle until, in the XIII century the property definitively passed to the Biandrate Counts.

Throughout the centuries San Giorgio ands its castle were frequently theatre of wars between Savoia, Monferrato, Spain and France, but the sieges of great armies were almost always victoriously warded off.

After the peace of Cherasco in 1631, San Giorgio definitely became part of the Savoy and the castle was subject to important changes by Guido Aldobrandino who is most likely responsible for the uniform structure of the “new” part. At the beginning of the 18th century, at the same time that the San Giorgio property was purchased by the Foglizzo branch, Aldobrandino restarted the works modifying the caste with more energy and terminating in 1726.

In the XIX century a period of decadence and oblivion began, this caused damage but also made it possible for us to now have the building in its appearance of the 18th century, highlighted by the restoration started by the company the castle now belongs to.

Among the richly decorated rooms, the Sala deiMelograni (Pomegranate room), the Sala deiTrofei (Trophy room), the Sala delleChimere (Chimera room), the Sala degliAironi (Heron room) and Sala delleConchiglie (Sea shells room) are the most distinguished, framed by a vast English style park.

Credenza Palace

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 13:40:16 GMT

The Credenza Palace, build in terracotta with two floor pointed arch portico with pointed windows, was probably built around 1300 to give a new seat for the Municipality Council. Next it became the headquarters of the Credendari, the Councillors of the free Municipality of Ivrea of the XIV century.

Culture Department

Ivrea Municipality

Ducal Castle of Agliè

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 13:16:09 GMT

Formerly known as the San Martino Fortress, the castle of Medieval origin, in the middle of the 17th century was transformed into a Manor by literate count Filippo San Martino d’Agliè, with works entrusted to Carlo di Castellamonte. In 1764 the residence was purchases by the Savoia family and rebuilt according to a project by Ignazio Birago di Borgaro.

Abandoned after the Napoleonic invasion, the Agliè castle flourished once again in the 19th century, due to the will of King Carlo Felice, who chose it as his favourite holiday residence along with the Govone castle. With the death of Maria Cristina, the widow of Carlo Felice, in 1849, the Castle was inherited by Carlo Alberto and his youngest son Ferdinando, first Duke of Genova.

In 1939 the State purchases the Agliè property from the dukes of Genova and during the war period the Caste was secretly used to store objects and documents from residences and museums of Turin, with a great risk of export by the German command, among these the Egyptian antiquities from the Turin Museum.

Transformed into a museum thanks to the Cultural Heritage Department and surrounded by a park with English and Italian Style gardens, today the Castle has more than 300 rooms, richly decorated and furnished, such as the ballroom, with frescos from the 17th century, the entrance hall, with 18th century stucco, the art gallery, with a precious collection of archeologicalartifacts. At the entrance you find a beautiful fountain with 18th century statues symbolising the Dora Baltea that flows into the Po, a work by Ignazio and Filippo Collino.

Recently the castle has been rediscovered for its beauty by the general public, even thanks to the television series Elisa of Rivombrosa that chose this location for its episodes.

Il Meleto Villa

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 13:26:24 GMT

The Il Meleto of Agliè Villa, called this way because the entrance driveway and the surrounding land, were cultivated as an orchard, it was the summer residence of the poet Guido Gozzano. The Building, dating back to the second half of the 19th century, was property of Senator Massimo Mautino. The villa was donated by the Senator on occasion of the marriage of his daughter Deodata with engineer Fausto Gozzano, and was used as a summer residence for the family after they transferred their residence to Torino. In 1904 Guido Gozzano and his mother started restoration of the building, achieving the result that is still visible today: a villa with balcony on the first floor and a facade with wisteria frescos, according to the liberty style that was becoming popular; there is a surrounding romantic garden and not too distant, the fruit orchard and a pond with the chalet island (demolished today).

Gozzano, during his long stays at the Meleto, which he alternated with stays in Turin, gave life to a great poetic production, initially with D’Annunzio tones, and with bourgeois and realistic irony as well as the Scapigliatura movement tones later on. The elegance and aestethic not only characterise his literary works: his coherence with a life idea that pushed him to merge life and poetry, allowing his character to appear dandy and refined. The famous living room of NonnaSperanza, furnished in liberty style, and immortalised in the poem L’amica di NonnaSperanza (The friend of grandmother Hope).

As a reminder of the great Canavese poet, in the last few years cultural events are organised tied to different forms of artistic expression.

Ivrea Castle

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 13:17:21 GMT

The current structure of the Ivrea Castle, located in the high section of the city, in proximity of the Duomo, is the result of subsequent transformations and reconstructions that however maintained the typical character of fortified architecture.

The first construction phase (1358-1394) involved the West end of the Castle, with the main or “maschio” tower, and the North tower, connected by a boundary wall, that was followed by the construction of two more towers towards the South and the East The subsequent construction phases built both new buildings and intervened on pre-existing structures. The Magno Palacio, still existing, preserves tiles with the Emblems of the Knights of the Order of Malta, leading to believe that in the current underground floor there was a community of the Gerosolomitano order, confirming the strategic role of the castle, even as part of the via Francigena route.

The most significant changes were recorded at the end of the 18th century, when the castle was transformed into a prison, first destined to State prisoners and then also to common prisoners. With the prison function, which it maintained untile the first half of the 20th century, the structure was subject to a series of additions and adaptations that naturally divided the courtyard into two parts and defined the external spaces, closed by high perimeter walls.

The first studies of the structure, including the historical origins, date back to the endo of the 19th century, important documental sources for this were contributed by Giuseppe Giacosa and Alfredo d’Andrade.

In 1979, almost ten years after dismission, the restorations were completed that demolished the structures from the 19th and 20th century and rediscovered the antique structures in the courtyard and moat areas.

Management of Castle tours is handled by the Volunteer Association “Castello d’Ivrea” that guarantees access during opening days.

Marini Palace

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 14:09:32 GMT

Inside the original Medieval village, in proximity of the gate towards Ivrea, you will find the Palazzo Marini building complex, made of a stately section towards the South and a rustic portion towards the North. The residential portion consists of a ground floor, a first floor and an attic and, as with most Borgofranco buildings, it does not have a cellar, due to the marshy ground.

On the side of the entrance hall, the noble staircase puts the portico in communication with the loggia above, while he helical staircase, contained in the cylindrical tower, ensures access to all levels of the building.

During the first half of the 17th century the Marini family renovated the existing building, extended it and commissioned the frescos that decorate the walls of the monumental staircase, the four staircases of the first floor and the loggia, attributed to the intervention of at least three different groups of decorators. They have very innovative characteristics, finding widespread use only in the second half of the century.

The frescoed rooms of the first floor are the great Sala di Rappresentanza, the Sala delleStagioni, the Sala dell’Etica and the Sala dell’Abbondanza. Wth its difficult vault ceilings, the latter is certainly one of the earliest examples of this genre throughout Piedmont. The last descendent of Marini died without children therefore the feud of Borgofranco was united with the Royal state property.

Palazzo Marini is now headquarters of the “Centro Educazioneall’Arte (Art Education Centre)” Association, developing activities throughout the Canavese area starting from organisations that are already present, such as the Suzuki Talent Center, established in Chiaverano, the via Francigena festival, which has already been present more than 10 years, and supporting important social project.

Masino Castle

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 13:20:58 GMT

Perched on a hill, in the enchanted scenario of the Morainic amphitheater of Ivrea, you will find the Marino Castle, whose construction goes back to the 11th century, commissioned by the prestigious Valperga family. Due to its strategic position, which allowed it to control a vast territory between Ivrea and Valle d’Aosta, the castle was, from the beginning, at the centre of numerous battles where the protagonists were the Savoia, the Acaia, the Visconti, the same Masino counts and the Valperga cousins. Starting the second half of the XVI century, the castle was rebuilt in its current form, on top of the ruins of the antique fort, taking on the look of a true representational residence.

Around 1780 a new renewal work aimed at a more moder neo-classical taste was started. The authors of these interventions were two important family representatives, the Carlo Francesco II brothers of Masino, viceroy of Sardinia and the abbot TommasoValperga of Causo, mathematician and poet, originator of the Galleria deiPoeti icons and the important library.

After the death of the last inhabitant of the residence, Vittoria Leumann, wife of the count Cesare Valperga, the son, count Luigi Valperga of Masino,in 1988 he assigned the task of preserving the historic memory of this important aristocratic and cultured family of Piedmont to the FAI.

A visit makes it possible to discover the numerous monumental rooms, such as stately rooms with frescos and richly furnished between the 17th and the 18th century, rooms for ambassadors, the secluded living rooms and the apartments of MadamaReale.

The museum of carriages from the XVII and XIX centuries, mostly of the Valperga family, and the great park surrounding the castle, result of the various changes throughout the centuries, where it is possible to visit the labyrinth, is also interesting.

Mazzè Castle

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 10:44:35 GMT

In the romantic historical centre of Mazzè, overlapping antique Roman ruins, you will find the Valperga Castle, built at the beginning of the XIV century by the Valperga Counts, in order to defend their estates, disputed by the Marchesi of Monferrato and the Counts of Savoia, rebuilt in modern times in a Neo-gothic style. In addition to the antique Medieval origin castle, another one was added as a manor home.

Recently restored, the castle was given back its antique splendor, with traces of various eras and styles: frescos and Medieval arches, suggestive artistic movements of the 17th and 18th centuries and rearrangements in Romanesque style that the Count Eugenio Brunetta d’Usseaux wanted in 1850 can once again be seen. Always a place of great charm and prestige, the castle had illustrious figures as guests such a Luis XII of Orleans King of France (1499), Francesco De Sanctis (1855), King Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoia, the marshal of France Canrobert and Camillo Benso di Cavour (1859), the zar Nicholas II of Russia (1909), Benedetto Croce (1914), Benito Mussolini (1925), king Umberto II of Savoia (1938) and numerous other less important figures.
In the 1960’s looting and speculation brought the grandiose building complex almost in ruins. A twenty year restoration by Salino di Cavaglia is giving the castle back its magnificence, as well as fantastic crenellated architectures, turrets, precious interiors and unparallel panoramas give the visitor today an unforgettable and awesome spectacle. Next to the Castle you find the Underground Torture Museum, established in 1999 in collaboration with Amnesty International, and the Woods Park Oasis, heart of the antique estate of the Valperga Counts of Mazzè.

Museo d'Arte Contemporanea all'Aperto di Maglione (Open Air Contemporary Art Museum of Maglione) (MACAM)

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 13:59:32 GMT

The museum was established in 1985 based on an ide of Maurizio Corgnati to spread and promote contemporary art. Today it includes more than 160 works between fresco and acrylic paintings on the walls of homes and sculptures an installations placed in the town squares by artists of different nationalities. Annually there is a laboratory for perfecting the fresco technique intended for students of the fine arts Academies that is done outdoors. Due to its open air characteristics, it can be visited at all times.

P.A. Civic Museum Garda

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 14:22:40 GMT

The antique monastery of Santa Chiara, located in Piazza Ottinetti, in the heart of Ivrea, after years of closing and important restoration work, today it houses the museum, fruit of the city archeological collection and donations of private individuals, which with a renewed set-up, gives back to the city the precious collections of archeology, Oriental art and paintings.

Characterised by periodic rotations of collections, temporary exhibits, publications and events, the museum route is articulated into three main sections.

The archeological collection gathers evidence of the city and its territory from the Neolithic Era up to the late Middle Ages. The most intensely documented history here is the Roman one, thanks to works and artifacts of the Eporedia colony period and the subsequent centuriation of the territory period. An important item of this section witnessing this period is the gromatico stele (the groma was the instrument that the romans commonly used to measure fields), besides a milestone and a tympanum. The first nucleus of the collection was collected by count Carlo Francesco BaldassarrePerrone, assisted by the count Paolo Pinchia.

The Eastern art collection, characterised by a rich variety of objects made using different material (metal, porcelain, lacquer, paper, silk, wood, bamboo, ivory, turtle shell, glass and straw) it is fruit of the personal collection of Pier Alessandro Garda and the collection of Palazzo Giusiana, first location of the museum. Between the two funds, the Garda one includes mainly objects from Japan, while the second - already property of the count Carlo Francesco BaldassarrePerrone (1718-1802) - included different objects from China and other Asian countries.

The Croff collection consists of paintings by substantially important artists, given to the Ivrea Municipality thanks to the will of Mrs. Lucia Guelpa (and later entrusted from the Municipality to the specifically formed Guelpa Foundation). Humanistic training and a passion for art encouraged AbdoneCroff to collect approximately fifty between paintings and drawings, among them masterpieces by Giovanni del Biondo, Neri di Bicci, Bergognone, Annibale Carracci, Giuseppe Palizzi, Filadelfo Simi, Pietro Annigoni, Xavier e Antonio Bueno, Giorgio De Chirico. The collection is completed by a gathering of copies of letters written between the second half of the Thirties and 1946 to the artists, the antiques and art merchants, and the related answers that make it possible to recreate the atmosphere it was formed.

Parella Castle

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 13:22:10 GMT

The Parella Castle, as we can appreciate it today, is the result of various building phases that followed each other throughout the centuries.

Initially a shelter and later a fortified barrier to collect tolls during Medieval times, in the renaissance era it was subject to the most important transformation work of Alexy I of the San Martino di Parella House. Thanks to Alessio I in fact the castle lost its military function, it is amplified and enriched with precious frescos that can still be appreciate in the numerous rooms.

It remain property of the San Martino family, with the death of Alessio III in 1801 the castle passed to the heirs in usufruct and subsequently to numerous owners, nobles and bourgeois, to the french cloistered nuns of “the Visitation”, the White Fathers missionaries of Africa, who established their seminary there. In 1962 the property passed on to a private family that kept it until 2000 when, as a result of a further ownership change, the castle was left in neglect and abandonment.

Santo Stefano Tower

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 13:39:24 GMT

The bell tower of Santo Stefano stood next to a Romanesque church and belonged to the abbey complex of Benedictine monks, founded in 1044, dedicated to the protomartyr Stefano and the Holy Saviour. The naming comes from a pre-existing church, located in a sub-urban area, donated by the Benedictine monks, maybe in 1042.
During the XI century the Benedictines took advantage of other donations given by the authorities and around the middle of the same century the Santo Stefano bell tower and the abbey complex was built. The sequence of six floors of the bell tower, alternate progressively in height with one to three mullioned windows, at the top it culminates in a spire covering and distinguished by refined hanging arches, representing the emblem of the then current abbey power.
Up to the modern era the bell tower was preserved from demolition, with the exception of what was done to the spire in 1854, carried out in different moments to other buildings of the abbey complex. In 1558 the Brissac marshal, for city defence reasons, orders that the church be demolished (then rebuilt by the Benedictines). In 1757 the same fate was given to the abbey buildings, abandoned by monks, they were demolished in order to enlarge the Palazzo Perrone garden. During the same period, since the abbey, suppressed in 1802, was still active, the abbot GaspareAmedeo San Martino della Torre decided to transform the surviving granary next to the bell tower into a church, subsequently demolished in 1898 to enlarge the public gardens.
Since then the tower has become one of the most important testimonies, once a symbol of the important role the monastic centre had in the religious and social sphere and now a romantic emblem of the city.

Culture Department

Ivrea Municipality