Palazzo del Carretto di Gorzegno

Palazzo del Carretto di Gorzegno in Turin, Italy, is a 17th-century urban palace erected during the Savoyard period and associated with the eastward enlargement of the city under King Charles Emmanuel II. Built as part of the urban development that pushed the city toward the Po River, the palace gained importance through its location on the historic island of the Assumption, a site that later became Via Maria Vittoria, and through successive ownership by senior officials of the Savoyard state.

Construction began after the land was put up for sale in 1686 and the palace reached completion in 1689 under Count Francesco Giacinto Gallinati, who served as controller-general of finances for the kingdom. The property occupied a parcel that had once belonged to the family of Giovanni Bernardino Fornelli of Bussoleno, a notary, and stood near other prominent residences created during the same phase of civic expansion.

During the 18th century the building changed hands several times. In 1756 it passed to Count Vittorio Felice Caissotti di Chiusano, a courtier who held the post of Governor of Susa and later became a general commanding infantry in the Sardinian army; while he owned the house he added an extra floor to bring its height into line with a neighbouring palazzo. In 1768 Marquis Carlo Tete Del Carretto di Gorzegno acquired the palace and carried out further modifications to the main floor and, later in 1796, added an upper storey, giving parts of the interior a Baroque character.

In the 19th century heirs sold the property in 1866 to Count Luigi Biandrate di San Giorgio for 110,000 lire, with an additional 2,000 lire recorded for furniture. The building entered the 20th century in private hands and in 1916 passed to Albina Gianoli, wife of the lawyer and local historian Ferdinando Rondolino, after purchase from the daughters of Biandrate. The provincial government bought the palace in 1972 for 170 million lire and adapted its function for public use, carrying out substantial alterations to serve administrative needs.

The palace suffered a damaging fire in 1995 and was subsequently restored with care. In 2017 the principal floor, the piano nobile (main floor), was converted to an extra-hotel arrangement of six suites, and the former ballroom was transformed into a contemporary art gallery. The building is included among properties recognised by UNESCO.