Asinari di San Marzano Palace, Turin
Asinari di San Marzano Palace in Turin is one of several noble residences of the city of the 17th century. It cannot compete in luxury of the furniture with its contemporary – Barolo Palace, but, nevertheless, it has its advantages. After all, its atrium is one of the most refined in the city. The palace was built in 1684-1686 by architect Michelangelo Garove. Building of the luxurious mansion was ordered by the Marquis Asinari di San Marzano and he used it as his residence.
In the middle of the 17th century the building survived the reconstruction of the interior, it was headed by the famous architect Benedetto Alfieri. The courtyard had a garden that was redone with the façade in 1885 according to the Camillo Boggio project, and the palace acquired characteristic features of the Neo-Baroque style. At that time, the Ceriana family was already the owner of the palazzo. After the Second World War in 1946, they sold the mansion to the entrepreneur Silvio Turati. He made it the headquarters of his company Carpano, the famous manufacturer of vermouth. His heirs still own the building.
Decoration of the palace
Palazzo Asinari is often called Carpano, by the name of the company. This is a building, designed in the Neo-Baroque style with 3 floors, each of which is underlined with horizontal cornices. Above the windows there are triangular pediments. On the second floor of the façade there is a balcony with elegant forged iron railings. The entrance door under it is framed by columns and vertical pilasters.
The lobby was made in a very bold way, with the application of innovations of that time. The vaulted ceiling of the atrium is supported by four spiral columns, it is decorated with exquisite stucco and ornaments. In the niches there are bas-reliefs and statues. In the courtyard there is a small decorative flower bed. The façade of the courtyard is covered with ivy. To the main floor you can get through a wide two-story staircase with pink marble balustrades. Interestingly, there is no canonical gallery for the buildings of Turin on the main floor. And this gives the mansion a charm.
How to get there
Palazzo Asinari is located in the historic center of Turin, on Via Maria Vittoria, 4. Walking through the surrounding streets, you can see many noble residences of the 18th and 19th centuries. Just opposite the mansion there is the Museo Egizio, and a block later – the ancient San Carlo Square. Nearby there is a stop Roma, and tourist buses № STAR1, STAR2 stop here. For more information on visiting the palace, please call (+39) 011 514051.
