Cavallerizza Reale, Royal stables complex in Turin, Italy

Cavallerizza Reale is a Savoy complex begun in the 1670s to designs by Amedeo di Castellamonte, with stables and riding halls planned in a cross shape around four courtyards. Benedetto Alfieri completed the main works between 1740 and 1742, adding a single hall over 73 metres long left unfinished, as its provisional brick facade shows. Carlo Bernardo Mosca added the Grande Scuderia between 1832 and 1837.

The building was commissioned by Carlo Emanuele II to serve as a center for Savoy family military operations. Over time it evolved into an academy where children of European nobility trained in horsemanship and courtly skills.

The name comes from the Savoy court's riding school, where nobles trained in horsemanship. From the late 1990s the complex hosted two editions of the Biennale of young artists of Europe and the Mediterranean, and later events by Paratissima. The 2014 fire inspired a theatrical performance staged in the complex a year later.

The complex lies between Piazza Castello, Via Po and the Teatro Gobetti, behind the University building. Much of it is closed after years of abandonment and fires, so check locally which courtyards or sections are open before setting out. The 73-metre Cavallerizza hall is the unfinished Alfieri wing, recognisable by its temporary brick facade.

The 73-metre-long riding hall designed by Benedetto Alfieri between 1740 and 1742 was never finished: its provisional brick facade still closes the nave today. In the late 1990s the abandoned complex hosted two editions of the Biennale of young artists of Europe and the Mediterranean, followed by Paratissima.