page created 7th March 2006
updated 4 Oct 2007
& 28th Nov 2010
Click here  for  pictures of Poncirus trifoliata plants in Turin / Torino.
Venaria Reale
A few kilometres to the north of Turin, at Venaria Reale, is the palace of the royal court of Savoy. Descibed as Turin's equivalent of Versailles, the palace fell into disrepair, and for years was used as a military barracks. Now, in a vast programme of restoration it is being returned to its former glory.
Filippo Juvarra, the court architect from 1716, brought the palace to its greatest splendour. He added the immense complexes of the orangery, or more correctly 'La Citroniera', together with the adjacent main stables 'La Scuderia Grande'.  The Citroniera, or Lemon House, some 150 metres long, faces south, so it was  heated both by the sun and from the warmth of the horses in the stables on the north side.
The restoration of La Citroniera is still ongoing, but I managed to gain enough access to the building works to take these photos. It is hoped this area of the palace will be open to the public by 2008. Let's hope that lemon trees will once again be growing in this magnificent building!
The official website of the palace is at http://www.lavenaria.it, from where I have borrowed these photos of the interior of La Citroniera. The second picture shows the progress of the restoration in 2007.        Also, click here for a website with interesting pictures from before the start of restoration.
Inside the Citroniera
UPDATE 2010: Here is a video of the citroniera after the restoration has been completed