I visited the Castello Di Racconigi with my host family, Zia…

Outside the Castello di Racconigi

This is what the castle looks like inside

Wall sculptures of animals that were hunted

Hercules

Statue of Emmanuel Philibert, the Prince of Carignano

My favorite sculpture in the whole castle

Family Tree

Welcome to my crib

Feasting like a king

I visited the Castello Di Racconigi with my host family, Zia Roberta (my host aunt), Fabio ( my host cousin), and Kevin ( my host brother). It’s one of the most famous castles in the Piedmont region of Italy. It took about an hour to get there from Borgo San Dalmazzo, and it was definitely worth the drive. When we got there, my host aunt thanked me for coming to stay with her family because it gave her a good excuse to visit the castle again. She had not seen it in many years. 

We were a bit early for the tour, so we ended up visiting a bird park nearby. Along the way we saw many trees. My host brother told me they were planted there by the orders of Mussolini. I like learning historical facts like this. Anyways, the bird park was nice. There were many cicogna (storks) and colorful ducks. There was also a lovely view of the alps from the bird park, and there were many professional photographers taking pictures of the birds in the scenery. I keep in contact with the professors from my university, and one of them told me to bring a pair of binoculars to Italy with me to go “birding”. After visiting the bird park, I finally understood what he meant. 

We went back to the castle right before the tour was about to start. I had to have my host brother translate since the tour was being given in Italian. We went to several different areas of the castle that were open to visitors. The hall at the main entrance was filled with Greek columns and wall sculptures of Hercules, knights, and animals that were hunted. It was beautiful and different because Hercules and knights totally do not belong in the same time period. It was an interesting combination of neoclassical and medieval architecture. 

We saw many portraits and statues and busts around the castle. The most notable being the statue of Emmanuel Philibert, the Prince of Carignano. There was a family tree of the Royal House of Savoy, one of the oldest royal families in the world. We were able to walk through some of the bedrooms in the castle, and they were all very beautiful and ornate. The kitchen was pretty grand and there were several sections. The area where they killed the animals before cooking them, the area where they prepared the food, the area where they stored it, the freezer, and the meat box, which was interesting to me because it was behind locked behind bars. The tour guide explained that it was because meat was very expensive and they wanted to make sure no one stole it. 

Overall it was a really great day. I saw my first castle in Europe and I got to spend time with my host family. 

Catching up on lots of blog posts today since I finally have time. I will try to update everything that has happened since my last update because it may be a while until I have time to blog again.

On another note, I’m so guilty of being a tourist. I take tons of pictures everywhere I go. I can’t help it. I want to remember every detail, and pictures help me recall places and events. Every picture I take contains a memory, and memories are the best souvenirs. 🙂