Piazza Castello Torino

After the demolition of the connecting channel from the Royal Palace to Palazzo Madama in the Napoleonic era, they built a large window over the arcades. In 1848, Carlo Alberto faced from this window to declare the beginning of the war against Austria, knowing in history as the First War of Independence, a few days after the promulgation of the Constitution that transforms the absolute monarchy into an institutional monarchy. In the 1840s, on the ground floor of the eastern wing, an important cultural institution was born, the Royal Library, commissioned by Carlo Alberto to rebuild the ancient Savoy library collection, dispersed during the French occupation. The prestigious library is designed by Pelagio Pelagi and still preserves the self-portrait of Leonardo Da Vinci.