Palazzo Madama & Museum of Ancient Art
Palazzo Madama & Museum of Ancient Art features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Turin. Give it roughly ~60 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type castle
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Turin Turin guide
About Palazzo Madama & Museum of Ancient Art
A 2,000-year architectural palimpsest at the centre of Piazza Castello, Roman gate, medieval castle, Renaissance towers, and Juvarra's magnificent Baroque facade, housing the Museum of Ancient Art.
Palazzo Madama is one of the most architecturally complex buildings in Italy, containing within a single structure the accumulated layers of two thousand years of building. The oldest part is the Roman Porta Praetoria, one of the main gates of the Roman colony of Augusta Taurinorum, built in the first century BCE. On and around this gateway, a medieval castle was constructed in the thirteenth century, incorporating the Roman towers. The castle was expanded during the Renaissance with the addition of two new towers. Then in 1721, the Savoy court architect Filippo Juvarra added the breathtaking Baroque facade facing onto Piazza Castello, a grand double staircase flanked by pilasters rising the full height of the building, topped by a balustraded terrace. The contrast between the medieval rear of the building (visible from inside the courtyard) and the Baroque facade is extraordinary. Inside, the Museo Civico d'Arte Antica houses medieval and Renaissance art, decorative objects, and the famous Portrait of an Unknown Man by Antonello da Messina.
Did you know? Roman masonry from the 1st century BCE Porta Praetoria is still visible in the basement of Palazzo Madama, the building spans 2,000 years of continuous occupation.
How long is a visit to Palazzo Madama & Museum of Ancient Art?
Set aside roughly ~60 min for Palazzo Madama & Museum of Ancient Art. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Palazzo Madama & Museum of Ancient Art worth your time?
Palazzo Madama & Museum of Ancient Art is among the 22 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Turin, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Turin
Hear the story of Palazzo Madama & Museum of Ancient Art
Preview the Turin tour free in the Gingerguide app.