Of Resurgence and Second Sons
Palazzo Carignano
This palace gets its name from its historical purpose as a private residence of the Princes of Carignano, which were the younger sons of the House of Savoy, and thus not in direct line for the throne.
It was designed by Guarino Guarini (who worked on the Cappella della Sacra Sindone), and commissioned by Emmanuel Philibert, Prince of Carignano, in 1679.
The palazzo was the birthplace of several notable personages, including Marie-Louise, Princesse de Lamballe, who was a confidant to Marie Antoinette and perished with her during the French Revolution, and Victor Emmanuel II, first King of Italy.
In the mid-19th century, the building served as host to the Chamber of Deputies for the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia, but their meeting place was moved elsewhere with the unification of Italy, as this political body became too large.
Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano
Housed in a wing of the Palazzo Carignano, this museum is one of 23 dedicated to the topic of Risorgimento, but it is the largest and considered to be the most important on this subject.
“Risorgimento” (which literally translates to resurgence) refers to the 19th-century political movement that sought to unify the various regions of the italic peninsula into one country, and which succeeded in creating the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
The museum was established in 1878, though it didn’t hold a permanent exhibition until 1908. It was originally housed in the Mole Antonelliana, had a brief stint in the Palazzo del Giornale in the Parco del Valentino, and moved to its present location once the Chamber of Deputies moved out.
Gold Colored Fox 