La Mandria Regional Park
Encyclopedia
La Mandria Regional Park is a park in the communes of Venaria Reale
and Druento
, near Turin
, northern Italy
. Founded in 1978 by the regional council of Piedmont
, it occupies a wide area between the Stura di Lanzo
torrent and the north-western part of Turin and Venaria.
It is the largest enclosed park in Europe, with a surface of some 3,000 hectares, bounded by a 35 km long wall built in mid-19th century by Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia, who had moved in the castle here (the Borgo Castello) the residence of his morganatic wife
, Rosa Vercellana. The park included one of the last relics of the large forest which once covered the whole Po Plain. Fauna includes wild boars and reindeer
s. The park has also breeds of horse races which are considered in risk of extinction.
Filippo Juvarra
worked at the castle in the 1720s. In 1860 Victor Emmanuel ordered the enlargement of the village (designers included Ernesto Melano), turning it into a castle with a surface of 35,000 m². The new structure had a rectangular shape measuring 280 x 100 m with three internal courtyards divided by rows of trees. The king wanted here a private residence (not belonging to the royal estates) to live with his morganatic wife, Rosa Vercellana. An apartment was built for her family by Domenico Ferri. In 1861 the structure was expanded with the "Castle of the Lakes", a neo-Gothic wing and a fountain of a sea horse fighting a triton by Vincenzo Vela
.
All the edifices, similarly to the Palazzo Carignano
in Turin, are in brickwork.
In the late 19th century La Mandria and its buildings were sold to the Medici del Vascello family. After World War II, a testing track owned by FIAT, a golf court and a residential center were added. It became a regional estate in 1976.
Venaria Reale
Venaria Reale is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 8 km northwest of Turin....
and Druento
Druento
Druento is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 12 km northwest of Turin.Druento is located in a hilly-plain territory, between the Givoletto mountains and the Turin's plain. Attractions include La Mandria Regional Park, housing a former house of...
, near Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Founded in 1978 by the regional council of Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, it occupies a wide area between the Stura di Lanzo
Stura di Lanzo
Stura di Lanzo is a 65 km long river in north-western Italy . It is formed from several tributaries near Lanzo Torinese. It flows into the river Po in Turin.The name Stura has Celtic origin: stur, which means "to fall".-External links:...
torrent and the north-western part of Turin and Venaria.
It is the largest enclosed park in Europe, with a surface of some 3,000 hectares, bounded by a 35 km long wall built in mid-19th century by Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia, who had moved in the castle here (the Borgo Castello) the residence of his morganatic wife
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
, Rosa Vercellana. The park included one of the last relics of the large forest which once covered the whole Po Plain. Fauna includes wild boars and reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
s. The park has also breeds of horse races which are considered in risk of extinction.
Borgo Castello
The existence of a village in the wood are is documented since the 18th century, when Victor Amadeus II of Savoy built here the stables of the nearby Royal Palace, within a royal hunting reserve active since the 16th century.Filippo Juvarra
Filippo Juvarra
Filippo Juvarra was an Italian architect and stage set designer.-Biography:Filippo Juvarra was an Italian Baroque architect working in the early part of the eighteenth century. He was born in Messina, Sicily, to a family of goldsmiths and engravers...
worked at the castle in the 1720s. In 1860 Victor Emmanuel ordered the enlargement of the village (designers included Ernesto Melano), turning it into a castle with a surface of 35,000 m². The new structure had a rectangular shape measuring 280 x 100 m with three internal courtyards divided by rows of trees. The king wanted here a private residence (not belonging to the royal estates) to live with his morganatic wife, Rosa Vercellana. An apartment was built for her family by Domenico Ferri. In 1861 the structure was expanded with the "Castle of the Lakes", a neo-Gothic wing and a fountain of a sea horse fighting a triton by Vincenzo Vela
Vincenzo Vela
Vincenzo Vela was a Swiss sculptor, active mainly in northern Italy.-Biography:Having started work as a stonecutter when still very young, Vela received his initial training at Viggiù and then moved to Milan, where he worked on the Cathedral and enrolled at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in 1832...
.
All the edifices, similarly to the Palazzo Carignano
Palazzo Carignano
The Palazzo Carignano is a historical building in the centre of Turin, Italy, which currently houses the Museum of the Risorgimento. It was once a private residence of the Princes of Carignano, after whom it is named. It is famous for its unique rounded façade...
in Turin, are in brickwork.
In the late 19th century La Mandria and its buildings were sold to the Medici del Vascello family. After World War II, a testing track owned by FIAT, a golf court and a residential center were added. It became a regional estate in 1976.