Sobriety and Magnificence of Piedmont Style
Sobriety, balance and curvilinear design: the modernity of Baroque in Piedmont can be seen, among the many examples, in the squares of Turin, which are refined urban centers; in the architecture of the 16 Residences of the Royal House of Savoy UNESCO World Heritage Site, starting with the Royal Palace and the complex of religious buildings formed by the Royal Church of San Lorenzo and the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, reopened to the public after 22 years of restoration following the fire in 1997, both adorned by the domes by Guarino Guarini. In the city center we find Palazzo Carignano. Designed by Guarini and built at the end of the 17th century by the will of Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia-Carignano, the palace is one of the most evocative and imposing buildings of the 17th-century Italian art, with a sinuous facade and a simple brick cladding, preciously and originally. worked. The Superga Basilica is proudly displayed on one of the hills overlooking the Po river, while right outside the city the Chapel of Sant’Uberto, a masterpiece by Filippo Juvarra, echoes the magnificence and rituals of the court life at the Reggia di Venaria. Among the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy is to be mentioned the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi (the Hunting Lodge of Stupinigi), designed by Filippo Juvarra, which is considered one of the most important architectural complex in Europe thanks to its furnishings, paintings and cabinet-making masterpieces.
Included among the Baroque masterpieces, the 7 Sacri Monti (Sacred Mounts) UNESCO World Heritage Site, places where baroque art meets nature in an combination of perfect harmony and beauty: from the “forefather” Varallo, in Valsesia, founded to create an itinerary of prayer and meditation, to Domodossola, Orta and Ghiffa between Lake Maggiore and the Ossola Valleys; from Crea, in the Alessandria area, to Belmonte, in the Canavese area in the province of Turin, up to Oropa in Pre-Alps of Biella: here, the 500th anniversary of the Coronation of the statue of the Black Madonna will be celebrated in August 30th 2020.,.
We can still mention the elegant churches and noble palaces of the historical Asti city centre, and in Casale Monferrato one of the most exquisite baroque synagogues in Piedmont, built in 1595; in the Cuneo area, the baroque city centre of Mondovì and the Sanctuary of Vicoforte, along with the iconic baroque capitals of Bra and Cherasco.
In Biella, newly named UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, the Baroque art reveals a particular urban spectacular work of art in the Church of the Holy Trinity and in the Church of Saint Joseph. The baroque Basilica of San Gaudenzio overlooks the skyline of the city of Novara with the vertiginous dome-tower of 121 metres, realized in 1877 by Alessandro Antonelli. Nearby, the Church of San Marco amazes the visitor with luxurious decorations made of red marble, wood and porphyry, golden accents and stucco.
Between the Ossola Valleys and Lake Maggiore, in Val Grande National Park, Santa Maria Maggiore houses the majestic parish Church of the Assumption; further down the valley, in Ornavasso the Church of the Madonna della Guardia Sanctuary stands out for importance.