Palazzo Conti di Bricherasio

The Palazzo dei Conti Cacherano di Bricherasio was built in Bricherasio to replace the ancient residence of the counts, which was destroyed in 1549 following the siege by the army of Duke Charles Emmanuel I and later incorporated into the fortifications constructed by the French under Duke Lesdiguières in 1592. Most of the buildings were again razed to the ground during the Savoyard siege of 1594 and subsequently during the siege of 1628, following Richelieu’s occupation.

After the return of the Dukes of Savoy to Bricherasio following the Treaty of Cherasco in 1630, the town was devastated by a plague and had to be rebuilt from scratch.

The Palazzo dei Conti di Bricherasio was built between the 17th and 18th centuries at the foot of the Castle hill, where the fortifications destroyed during the siege of 1594 once stood. This siege, in which Bricherasio, occupied by the French, was recaptured by the troops of Savoy after 40 days of bombardment, has left historical remnants in the park where parts of the old fortifications can still be seen.

Count Giovanni Battista Cacherano di Bricherasio was born in the palazzo in 1706. He commanded the Austro-Piedmontese troops that defeated the French in the Battle of the Colle dell’Assietta on 19 July 1747.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Palazzo was frequented by Emanuele Cacherano di Bricherasio, one of the first members of the Italian nobility to recognise the potential of the mechanical industry for the production of automobiles for private use. It was on 1 July 1899 that Bricherasio convened a group of aristocrats and notables in the study of his Turin residence to sign the agreement to establish an initial company which later took the name F.I.A.T. For the occasion, he invited the renowned Piedmontese painter Lorenzo Delleani, a friend of the family, to sketch a painting depicting this historic event.

The Palazzo served as a noble residence for over two centuries. After World War II, it was converted into a summer residence; during the same period, the current architecture of the park of over four hectares began to take shape. The park today contains around fifty species of trees and at least twenty shrub species, showcasing styles drawing from both early English garden design and botanical collection trends. Large tree groves contrast with broad meadow clearings featuring ponds and streams. It is intersected by the municipal canal.

Palazzo dei Conti di Bricherasio is listed as a cultural heritage site subject to protection by the Superintendency of the Piedmont region.

Facilities and services at Palazzo Conti di Bricherasio
The Palazzo is available for corporate and private events, film shoots, photo services and food and wine tastings. It is open for private visits on both Saturdays and Sundays, and on other days by appointment.