Palazzo Madama

DESCRIZIONE:
The Palace stands on what used to be called Porta Decumana in the Roman period. Starting from the I century, the gate was turned into a small fortification, still keeping its original destination as a passage.
Starting from the XIV century, the Savoy-Achaea branch turned the original gate into  a castle with a number of works which gave the building its square shape with forecourt, colonnade and four cylindrical towers. With the extinction of the Achaea branch, the castle became a residence for guests. In 1637 the regent of duke Charles Emmanuel II, Christine Marie of France, chose it as her residence and started a number of works to change the structure and modernize the rooms. But it is another woman from the House of Savoy, Marie Jean Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours (regent of Victor Amadeus II), who gave the palace its current appearance and part of its name, since it was the residence of the regencies of two "Royal Madams". The old drawbridge was removed and Carlo and Amedeo di Castellamonte, together with painter Guglielmo Caccia were called for the restoration work. Filippo Juvarra designed a magnificent baroque palace of white stone. However the work was never completed. The interior is very bright thanks to the light entering from the three glazed sides, four central columns support the vault of the monumental staircase leading to the upper floor. Thereafter, Palazzo Madama was used as the seat of the provisional French government during the Napoleonic campaigns, then astronomical observatory since 1822, it housed the gallery Pinacoteca Regia, then again the Subalpine Senate and the Court of Cassation. The senate, opened on 8^th May 1848, held its last session on 9^th December 1864. The hall, still intact until 1927, was then demolished after works inside the building.