The Palace of Venaria near Turin, Italy is one of the largest royal residences ever constructed. Interestingly, it actually fulfilled its intended purpose as a hunting lodge for Duke Charles Emmanuel II of the Royal House of Savoy for a very short time. After the Duke’s wife died during childbirth, the Duke seemed to have lost interest and the palace was rarely visited. Shortly thereafter, this impressive structure was commandeered by the invading French army and used as a military training ground and troop barracks.
In counterpoint to its exclusive origins, the palace was opened to tourism in 2007 and can now be viewed by the public. It is well worth a visit for its vaulted ornate interior and complex exterior brickwork. It is a truly impressive hold over from a time when royalty had the wealth and power to buy entire villages and turn them into personal vacation homes. This jigsaw puzzle features the beautiful design of the palace’s Grand Gallery.
Jigsaw puzzle subject image credit: Special thanks to Massimo Bairati for making the photograph used for this jigsaw puzzle available through the Creative Commons Attribution NoDerivs license. Visit Massimo Bairati's Flickr photostream.
See all jigsaw puzzles based on Massimo Bairati's photographs.
Category: Buildings
