Piazza Castello, Central square in Turin, Italy.

Piazza Castello is a rectangular square at the heart of Turin with Palazzo Madama as its central landmark. The space is framed by elegant porticoes and significant buildings on all sides, creating a sense of architectural unity.

The square emerged in the 14th century as a focal point in Turin's urban layout. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, it was substantially redesigned and gained the grand buildings and architectural structure that define it today.

The square functions as a gathering place where local residents and visitors intersect, with cafés and street activity creating a sense of everyday Turin life. The surrounding buildings represent different periods of architecture, showing how the city has built its character over time.

The square is accessible from major Turin streets including Via Roma, Via Po, and Via Pietro Micca, which converge from all directions. Visitors can easily reach it and use it as a point to navigate to other parts of the city center.

The square's name comes from the castle formed around 1276, when Guglielmo VII of Montferrat had the decaying Roman gate demolished and replaced by a fortified residence. Under Ludovico of Savoy-Acaia, in the second half of the 14th century, it gained four corner towers. Traces of the Roman gate, renamed Fibellona in the Middle Ages, survive beneath Palazzo Madama.