The reopening of the Beaumont Gallery at the Royal Armoury

The city must be discovered step by step, walking along streets and squares starting right from the Royal Palace, with the state rooms on the first piano nobile and the Armoury. This is an unmissable opportunity, because an important section, the Beaumont Gallery of the Royal Armoury, the Medagliere and the Chinese Cabinet, was reopened a few days ago and has undergone a series of redevelopment works in recent months. Established by King Charles Albert of Savoy in 1837, the Royal Armoury of Turin, with over five thousand artefacts covering a chronological span from Prehistory to the early 20th century, is one of the richest collections of arms and armour in Europe. The collections of the Royal Armoury bring together more than 5,000 objects, of which about 1,700 are on public display. With the Royal Armoury, the Royal Medagliere, one of the most significant numismatic collections in Italy, also reopens. It holds more than 31,000 pieces, including 28,601 coins and 3,700 medals, seals and impressions. The temporary closure of the rooms also made it possible to schedule a conservative restoration in the adjacent Chinese Cabinet of the Representation Apartment. This extraordinary room, built in the 1730s to a design by architect Filippo Juvarra for Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy, King of Sardinia, is characterised by its exceptional artistic quality, in which the precious lacquered panels on a black background, from China, depicting naturalistic motifs with flowers, leaves, birds, insects and rocks, stand out. The room also contains six large mirrors and numerous pieces of furniture.