Palazzo Madama and Casaforte degli Acaja is an architectural complex located in the central Piazza Castello in Turin.
The complex has been elected a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the serial site Residenze Sabaude and has been defined by the poet Guido Gozzano as "a stone synthesis of all of Turin’s past". Two thousand years of Piedmont’s history converge in Palazzo Madama, starting from its construction in Roman times, as the city gate, Porta Decumana.
After being used as part of the city’s defensive system, the building was set up as a residence and soon became the symbolic palace of Turin, until, in the 16th century, the Duke of Savoy preferred the present Royal Palace as his seat. The Juvarrian staircase is beautiful.
