LA MANDRIA - Il Cancello di accesso al parco

LA MANDRIA - Access gate to the park.

The LA MANDRIA Regional Park is an important reality of environmental protection, in which different species of wild and domestic animals live freely or in a semi-wild way in what constitutes the most significant relic of lowland forest. The interest grows when we consider that this extensive protected area is located just 16 km from the historic center of Turin.
Surrounded by over 30 km of perimeter wall, it boasts a considerable historical-architectural heritage, represented by over 20 protected buildings: in addition to the Borgo Castello complex, numerous ancient farmhouses, the remains of a medieval shelter and two hunting reposoirs.
The La Mandria Park preserves Savoy residences which are among the sites declared by Unesco as a World Heritage Site, established in 1978, has an area, including the preparation of 6541 hectares, 1760 of which owned by the Piedmont Region, constitute the largest portion it is important for usable purposes.The history of the park is closely connected to that of the Savoy family. The current park was in fact, at the beginning of the sixteenth century, a vast territory intended as a hunting reserve for the Savoy court and a place equipped for the stay of the king and his court. Precisely for hunting reasons, a sumptuous Palazzo di Piacere was built in the mid-seventeenth century, thanks to the interest of Carlo Emanuele II and the work of Castellamonte, which would later become the complex of the Castello della Venaria. Following the purchase by the royal family of the territories surrounding the castle, starting from 1861 the construction of a "boundary" wall, about 27 km long, began with the main purpose of protecting game. de facto wall stole a large slice of its territory from Druent, with a general discontent of the population accustomed to exploiting it, as if that were not enough, the people in charge of the municipality began to have difficulty entering the estate to carry out their functions, especially for the surveillance and maintenance of the canal that flows inside the property. This new and serious situation led to disturbances in Druent and rancor against the municipality, and the junta, so much so that the same, in January 1865, resigned "fearing, deprived of means of defense, to run into new dangers if it remained in power ".Other important Savoys left their mark here: Vittorio Amedeo II installed a horse farm for the royal stables, giving the territory the definitive name of Mandria. Who really fell in love with the estate and elected it among his favorite places of residence was Vittorio Emanuele II, the hunter king, the first king of Italy. At the behest of Vittorio Emanuele II, various buildings were built and enlarged: Borgo Castello took on its current form with the Royal Apartments on the main floor, the love nest of the King and his beloved Rosa Vercellana; two hunting reposoirs were built on opposite sides of the Park for stopping during hunting trips: the enchanting Villa dei Laghi and the Bizzarria; the Vittoria farmhouse and the Emanuella farmhouse, now Rubbianetta, were built on the occasion of the birth of Rosa's two children. The Mandria, however, constituted a liability for the budget of the Royal House; on the death of Vittorio Emanuele II, the administration of the Royal House first tried to lease it and then to take over its management in direct economy. Both choices proved unsuccessful.It was then that Umberto I decided to sell the estate, bought the Senator Marquis Luigi Medici del Vascello who tried to transform it into a profitable agricultural estate. With the absence of Senator Luigi Medici, the property passed to the nephews Giuseppe and Giacomo Medici del Vascello who in 1923 gave life to a radical agrarian reform, with positive results in the following years, so much so that the population of the estate, passed from 411 units in the ' 22 to 896 in '38. Soon, La Mandria became a large and modern farm, and its situation improved significantly, 1121 hectares were cultivated, cattle breeding was implemented in modern facilities and in the sixties a factory was created for the production of yoghurt. A plant for the breeding of pheasants, gray partridges and wild ducks also came into operation.
After the last war, the gradual division of the estate began, with the sale of successive portions of the territory. of the "I Roveri" subdivision (in the picturesque areas of the northern part); of Dr. Ferrero; of the Bonomi-Bolchini group and of the Piedmont Region (southern part) who bought it from the marquis luigi, son of Giacomo Medici, last portion of 1345 hectares, including the castle and the ancient rubianetta, on 12 April 1976.Two years later, on August 21, 1978, the Royal Park was established