The Royal Armoury is part of the Royal Museum complex in Turin, along with the Royal Palace, the Galleria Sabauda, the Museo di antichità, the Royal Gardens, the Royal Library, the Sale Chiablese and the Chapel of the Holy Shroud.
The idea of establishing a weaponry museum here dates to the end of 1832 when Charles Albert of Sardinia began bringing the weapons owned by the Savoy family to the Beaumont Gallery, empty of the great canvases that once decorated its walls. The first objects came from the Arsenals of Turin and Genoa and the storage areas of the Museum of Antiquity. Pieces bought on the antique market were added later, including the important collection belonging to the set designer Alessandro Sanquirico from Milan.
In 1842 the Rotonda rooms, designed by Pelagio Palagi, were added to the Beaumont Gallery to house the most recent additions, including a collection of Oriental weapons, to Charles Albert’s project. The museum further expanded with the donation of the personal collections of Charles Albert and Victor Emmanuel II after 1878.
With the creation of the Republic in 1946, the Armoury became a state-owned museum. Today it owns over 5,000 pieces, dating from prehistory to the early 1900s, including a significant collection of 16th century weapons and armour. The Medagliere Reale (Royal Medal collection) is annexed to the Armoury, displaying coins and a selection of classical antiques and precious objects.
Film Commission Torino Piemonte
Via Cagliari 42 — 10153 Torino
Phone: +39 011 2379201
Fax: +39 011 2379298
Email: info@fctp.it
