Torino, Italia
Buongiorno. Today we met Sara at Palazzo Madama. Serra was supposed to join us, but the children still aren’t feeling well. So, it is just Mary and me. Palazzo Madama is probably the best place to get an understanding of how buildings are reused or repurposed. The building allows you to see how over the last two thousand or so years, the site has developed.
The site of Palazzo Madama probably began life as a small fishing village on the confluence of the Rivers Po and Dora, although it didn’t have that name or any name at the time. The Romans came along and decided this is a good place for an outpost. In typical Roman fashion they laid out the streets in a grid pattern. Over time it became was well equipped with the normal Roman accruements. Roman theaters, baths, squares, Loggia and even a colosseum. Of course it had defensive walls with gates. One of which was called, Porta Decumana. That gate faced the River Po.
Two towers were eventually added to Porta Decumana, a tower on each side. Originally the towers probably served to add further protection to the outpost and provide some additional living spaces. Over the next several centuries the gate and towers were refurbished and repurposed. Sometime in the late 6th century or early 7th century, the gate and towers were occupied the Agliulf, the Duke of Torino and the King of the Lombards.
Torino became an important stop on the pilgrimage route – the Via Francigena. Another six hundred or so years pass, and in 1280 arrived. The Marquis of Monferrato ceded Torino to Thomas III of Savoy. Thomas III’s son, Philip of Achaea renovated the gate into an imposing castle by adding two additional towers. The castle stood, at the time, on what was the banks of the River Po, today the River Po is probably just over 1.25 km (half mile) north of the Palazzo Madama. One can guess what was between the Roman Gate and the river of today; it was probably a flood plane or marsh.
Today, Palazzo Madama is maybe 10 to 15 meters above the river. However, two things can easily be observed. When standing on the current ground floor you can see the Roman street five or six meters below you through the glass floor. Hundreds or even thousands of years ago, before flood control and the channeling of the river, the river was surely much closer to the gate.
That is the advantage of this structure. You can actually see some of the Roman structure, you can see the towers of the 15th century. You can see the 15th century frescoes by Master Giacomo Jaquerio. And the gothic windows of the noble manor house. You can see where the Second Madama Reale, Marie Jeanne Baptiste, had the Sicilian architect Filippo Juvarra add the 19th century façade.
In all the castles, palaces and structures there is no better visual explanation of the changes over time as is presented here. The palazzo is now also the Museo Civico D’Arte Antica of Torino. It has been here since 1863.
There are an impressive number of rooms with everything from Roman artifacts, to 19th century porcelain. It was a fun two hours and it was good to have Sara long to point things out. Afterwards we parted company and walked down Via Giuseppe Verdi. Along the way we stopped at Efeso Bistrot Café for lunch. Mary had lasagna. My choice was Pizza Salsiccia. Both were very good.
We walked back to the apartment after lunch. I dropped Mary off at Serra’s where she was going to babysit for a while. I took a nap and then did the accumulated laundry. A week from today we move out of here and on to Firenze.
Dinner was a quick stop at the Asian take-away. Mary got Green Curry, which turned out to be too spicy for her. I would have traded my Pad Thai but I didn’t like the curry. Everything was very salty. Oh, we picked it us at Asian Curry on Via Giuseppe Verdi. Played cards. I won!
Buonanotte e Ciao, Enrico e Maria
Comments