The construction of the original castle dates back to the 10th century. In 1650, the Porporato family began the construction of a new castle based on a design by Castellamonte. The current Castle of Piasco was established by the Porporato family around 1650.
Nearby, on the hillside behind the castle, a forest once covered the ruins of an earlier manor, destroyed during the wars of the 12th century. Only a tower from this Old Castle remained standing until the 1950s.
The grand original design, preserved in a series of drawings and kept in the family’s private archive, is generally attributed to Carlo di Castellamonte. However, a detailed study of archival documentation and comparisons have yet to confirm this attribution. The first page of the dossier features a pencil note reading, “Carlo di Castellamonte, architect of Carlo Emanuele I.” The project, regardless of its author, reflects the cultural climate created in Turin with the arrival of Christine of France and displays an elegant architectural vision. The name “Brunati Benedetto,” an engineer and architect well-known in early 19th-century Turin, also appears on the first page. Brunati may well have been responsible for a proposed renovation of the Castle of Piasco, commissioned by the Biandrate di S. Giorgio family when they succeeded the Porporato family. The undated drawings include plans for the ground floor, the first floor, the garden-facing façade, the palazzo’s courtyard façade, the interior part of the garden wing, a grotto at the end of the garden, a cascading fountain, to be realised in the hypothesis of the property being expanded, thereby including the garden, and geometric flowerbeds and water features, reminiscent of contemporary French castles.
The designer also seems to have aimed to follow the French pavilion system, suggesting the construction of two pavilions at the southwest and southeast corners, though this work was never completed. The Piasco project, in summary, presents typical compositional features of a Baroque-style castle, particularly in the refined double-loggia courtyard design, similar to the project executed at the Castle of Scarnafigi. The close relationship between the two castles is also evident in the use of exposed brickwork in both.
The Castle
The Castle-Palace, with its rustic external appearance because it is unfinished, is rich and elegant inside. It comprises three main floors, plus two mezzanines and a basement, arranged in three “C”-shaped wings that define a courtyard-garden. A spacious terrace, flanked by circular towers, overlooks the village of Piasco and the surrounding plain. The basement contains the kitchens, the cellars, with a cistern for collecting water, and a large icehouse. The inner courtyard features an elegant portico, characterised by Doric columns.
Of particular note, on the ground floor, are the Billiard Room, the Central Hall and the Dining Room, which connect in an “enfilade” arrangement, emphasising the function and hierarchical value of the spaces, typical of a scheme used in the 17th and 18th centuries. Also noteworthy on the ground floor are the so-called Bishop’s Room, the Yellow Room and the central Sitting Room. The chapel, located in the southwest wing, most likely represents a later addition, possibly linked to Monsignor Filippo Porporato, Bishop of Saluzzo (1741-1781), and may have been subsequently renovated.
Access to the main ‘piano nobile’ floor, and thus to the master quarters, is provided by an elegant double-flight staircase leading to a terrace with Ionic columns. This ‘noble’ floor includes significant – and correspondingly large – rooms such as the Great Hall, originally used as an “Armory Room”, the Gobelins Room, the Yellow Room and the Golden Room, similarly arranged in an enfilade for ceremonial purposes when paying respect to the lord of the manor. The Library and Flower Room open onto the inner courtyard. The western side of this floor includes a long Gallery overlooking both the park and the inner courtyard.
The Castle also contains servant quarters and workspaces. Although it is now difficult to determine the specific function of each room within Palazzo Porporato, it is likely that balls, ceremonies and parties took place in the Great Hall, while the Golden Room, also on the main floor, was used by the castle’s lords for the most important public audiences. Decorative work probably began during the castle’s construction and was certainly completed by 1722, as indicated by the castle’s official valuation documents.
The history of Palazzo Porporato di Piasco
Originally from Pinerolo, the Porporato family was appointed to hold significant positions in the administration of the Marquisate of Saluzzo in the mid-16th century. In 1609, they acquired the fiefdom of Piasco, along with Sampeyre, Venasca, and Brossasco, making Piasco the capital of their holdings. Involved in the civil war between Madame Christine of France and her brothers-in-law, the Savoy family, the Porporato family experienced fluctuating fortunes. During the restoration phase following the resolution of the conflict between the Principisti and Madamisti factions (1642), they dedicated considerable energy to constructing the castle, intending for it to become their primary residence and a symbol of their prestige.
Giovanni Felice Porporato of Sampeyre and especially Gaspare Maurizio Porporato of Sampeyre propelled the construction of what is also referred to as “Palazzo Porporato,” surrounded by walls with towers and balconies, featuring three large apartments. The Porporato family also left their mark in the numerous coats of arms, displaying the double-headed eagle and shell, found on the margins of the frescoes that still decorate the rooms, highlighting the significance of their lineage. The major construction project was completed between 1720 and 1722.
After the abolition of feudal privileges and the extinction of the Porporato of Sampeyre family, upon the death of Carlo Luigi (1762-1834), the Castle was acquired by Count Guido di Biandrate e di San Giorgio, and subsequently by his son Luigi. It then passed to Lidia di Biandrate, who married Marquis Antonio Raggi of Genoa in 1903.
The Frescoes
Frescoes and gilding must certainly be placed within a broad discussion involving local, Piedmontese and Ligurian artists active in the second half of the 17th century, who were also operating in the Saluzzo area and were capable of interpreting Baroque painting in an original way. Molinari, Claret and Taricco are just a few of the names proposed for their attribution. The theory suggesting that the Ligurian artist Bartolomeo Guidobono contributed to the decoration of Palazzo Porporato in Piasco is particularly compelling (see Maurizio Romanengo’s work, “An unpublished cycle of frescoes by Bartolomeo Guidobono in Piedmont” and Daniele Sanguineti’s “Domenico Piola and his workshop”). Guidobono’s work in Piedmont bears the influence of Genoese palazzo frescoes with clear connections to Domenico Piola’s painting). Moreover, the interior decoration of the new castle at Piasco also presents intriguing connections with frescoes from the Royal Palace in Turin and Reggia di Venaria, dating back to the 1670s and 1680s.
Facilities and services at Palazzo Porporato di Piasco
Guided tours are available for the interior of the castle, including the ground floor, loggia and main ‘piano nobile’ floor, with a special focus on the pictorial cycle.
Gardens 
Parks 
Visits 
