Torino - Palazzo Madama e Casaforte degli Acaja

Turin is the capital of Piedmont and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The population of the city is about 850.000 while the population of the metropolitan area is estimated at 2.2 million.

In the first century BC the Romans founded "Augusta Taurinorum". Turin reached about 5,000 inhabitants at the time, all living inside the high city walls. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the town was conquered by the Ostrogoths and later by the Lombards whose territory in 773 fell into the hands of the Franks under Charlemagne. After the marriage of Adelaide of Susa with Humbert Biancamano's son Otto, the family of the Counts of Savoy gained control. The title of count was held by the Bishop as count of Turin. At the end of the 13th century, when it was annexed to the Duchy of Savoy, the city already had 20,000 inhabitants. Many of the gardens and palaces were built in the 15th century when the city was redesigned. The University of Turin was also founded during this period.

The Palazzo Madama is a city palace that served as the residence of the rulers of Savoy. It now houses an art museum.

The palace is located on the territory of the ancient Roman city whose city gate is integrated into today's building. Duke Filippo of Savoy included the two towers of the city gate when building a fortress. 1402 to 1415 the building was enlarged under Filippo's successor Ludovico and equipped with the eastern brick towers. In the 17th century, Maria Cristina of France, known as Madama Reale, chose the palace as her preferred residence and had it expanded like a castle from 1638.