ARRE Study Days 2012 Royal Residences, History and Territory: the experience of Piedmont Reggia di Venaria (16 – 23 June 2012) This year the second edition of the “ARRE Study Days” will be held at the Reggia di Venaria, near Turin - the ancient capital of the State of Savoy - from Saturday, June 16 to Saturday, June 23, 2012. The Summer School is organised by the Department of Culture of Regione Piemonte and the Research Department of the Reggia di Venaria, in collaboration with the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities – Regional Department for Cultural Heritage and Landscape of Piedmont. The theme of this year’s ARRE Summer School is Royal Residences, History and Territory: the experience of Piedmont. Piedmont is a region traditionally characterised by an industrial vocation, that made it one of the drivers of Italy’s development. However, deep changes have occurred over the past twenty years and the Region’s eminently industrial vocation has been replaced by tourist appeal. This process is particularly evident in the Region’s capital, Turin, a city that was regarded for years as Italy’s Detroit for its automotive industry and perceived as a grim factory town. In less than one generation, Turin has managed to restore the glory of its past as an ancient capital of baroque and successfully consolidated its new status as a major tourist destination. According to the data from the National Tourist Bureau during the Christmas Holidays of 2010-11 and 2011-12 tourists chose Turin over such fierce competitors as Venice, Florence and Milan: a scenario that would have been simply unthinkable only a decade ago. The transformation of the image of Piedmont and Turin hinged on the presence of the Royal Residences. The Reggia di Venaria, inaugurated in 2007 after decades of comprehensive restoration works, has become one of Italy’s five most visited cultural sites, after the Coliseum, Pompeii and the museums of Florence and Venice. In parallel, Palazzo Madama reopened in 2006 to become one of Turin’s main tourist attractions and in 2014- 15 the Royal District (“Polo Reale”) – the area that extends around the Royal Palace – will become the heart of the city’s cultural and tourist life. Meanwhile, the restoration of the Stupinigi Hunting Lodge is progressing steadily. This renewed interest in history and the related initiatives for the restoration and the promotion of the Savoy Residences are the result of a deep change of mind in political and cultural milieus that occurred in the 1990s and that led to the re-thinking of investments among economic and political decision-makers. In the 1990s the Turin-based car manufacturer FIAT and the local automotive industry faced a major crisis and suddenly new strategies had to be devised to ensure the economic development of the local territory. At the same time, a nationwide political crisis brought to an end the so-called “First Republic”. It was at that point that Piedmont rediscovered the full value of its glorious past, that coincided for centuries with the story of Italy’s ruling family, the House of Savoy, ousted after the 1946 referendum that brought Fascism to power. Since then Piedmont’s regional authorities have focused on the local cultural heritage, that was seen no longer as an economic drain requiring expensive restoration plans but as an asset with remarkable potential. The challenge was met with considerable success: in the first decade of this century, at the end of extensive restoration works and amidst fierce debates over what use to make of the revamped palaces and estates, the Savoy Residences regained their original splendour and finally re-opened to the public, soon to be followed by several museums in Turin. The Summer school will provide a unique opportunity to learn about the changes that have been implemented in Piedmont over the past twenty years, like the safeguard and the promotion of the cultural heritage and the residences as a formidable instrument for territorial development. Participation to the Summer School is subject to a fee: € 250, 00 euros for personnel of ARRE member institutions, € 500,00 for personnel from non-member institutions. Participants are expected to cover travel and accommodation expenses, but they may take advantage of the promotional rates offered by hotels that are partners of the Reggia di Venaria. The Summer school is organised in two sessions: every day lectures will be held in the morning in the Conference Hall of “La Venaria Reale” Conservation and Restoration Center, with simultaneous translation in English, French and Italian. Every afternoon the participants will visit the Royal Residences of the House of Savoy and will be accompanied on their tour by the museums’ Directors and Curators. Saturday 16 June – Reggia di Venaria • h. 16.00. Conference Hall of La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Center – Welcome address and Official Opening Event • h. 17.00. Visit to the Reggia di Venaria. The Venaria Reale estate was commissioned by Duke Carlo Emanuele II who in 1658 appointed the architect Amedeo di Castellamonte to oversee its construction. The name of the residence, “Venaria” is a clear reference to hunting, an activity that was practiced extensively in the nearby woods. Over time the complex evolved in various stages. The first expansion of the original project was carried out starting in 1699 by the architect Michelangelo Garove who was appointed by Vittorio Amedeo II. After Garove’s death and in the wake of the French siege in 1706, Vittorio Amedeo II appointed the Sicilian architect Filippo Juvarra to repair the extensive damage the complex had suffered. Juvarra also designed the stucco decorations of the Great Gallery and built the Royal Church and the stables. Over time other great architects took part in the transformation of the complex, most notably Benedetto Alfieri. During the Restoration period the Court left the Reggia, that was turned into military barracks and that became a military command centre of the Savoy Army during the Risorgimento. The long decline of the Reggia started after the Second World War and finally came to an end at the turn of this century, thanks to a comprehensive restoration project. • h.20.00- 22.00. Gala dinner at the restaurant Dolce Stil Novo by Alfredo Russo. Dolce Stil Novo is the only restaurant located inside the Reggia, on the top floor above the Great Gallery, and it offers a breath-taking view of the Gardens, the Great Pond, the Court of Honour and the Fountain of the Stag. www.dolcestilnovo.com Sunday 17 June – Castle and Park of La Mandria • h. 9.00- 13.00. Conference Hall of La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Center. Lecture subject: Residences and History. The rebirth of the Savoy Residences, from 1992 to 2012, was a political and cultural operation that was accompanied by a powerful revival of the history of the State of Savoy. The lectures will illustrate the goals and the stages of this operation in order to provide an overview of the history of the House of Savoy against the Italian and the European background, based on a comparative approach. In recent years, European Courts (and their Royal Residences) have gained popularity and their role was recognized as an essential element in the definition of Europe’s identity. Clearly, one of the objectives of Royal Residences must therefore be reaching out to a wider audience to narrate the story of their historical relevance for the continent. • Lunch • h. 14.30/15. Visit to the Castle and the Park of La Mandria. The Regional Park of La Mandria extends all around the Reggia di Venaria. Up to the 19th century their destinies had been inextricably linked, but starting in 1859 the Park and the buildings therein, located on the top of an artificial rise (known as the “New Mandria”), would be used by King Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy as a private abode. The Royal Architects Barnaba Panizza and Domenico Ferri were therefore commissioned to build a site that would allow the Sovereign to pursue his favourite sport – hunting – and to relax with his lover and later morganatic wife Rosa Vercellana away from the hassles and the prying eyes of the Court. Monday 18 June – Royal Palace, Royal Armoury, Royal Library and State Archives • h. 9.00- 13.00. Conference Hall of La Venaria Reale Conservation and Restoration Center. Lecture subject: The role of public institutions. The history of the Savoy Residences is the story of palaces and estates that were inhabited for centuries by the Royal Family, but it is also the story of decades when, after the fall of the Monarchy, the palaces were entrusted to the management of public and private institutions. This lecture and the next aim to reconstruct the destinies of the Royal Residences from the aftermath of WWII to this day with special emphasis on the role of public institutions. These include larger entities - like Regione Piemonte, the Regional Department for the Architectural Heritage and the Landscape (and the relevant Soprintendenze) and the City of Turin - as well as smaller ones, like the Councils of the towns where the Residences are located. The lectures will outline the actions undertaken by public institutions in the management of the Residences as well as the difficulties and the challenges they have encountered. Special attention will be devoted to the smaller towns where each Residence is not only a major economic asset, but also a source of contrasts and debate within the local communities. • Lunch • h. 14.30/15. Visit to the Royal District: State Archives, Royal Library, Royal Armoury and Royal Palace. The Royal Palace was designed between the late 16th and the early 17th century by Ascanio Vitozzi.