On the southern edge of Turin, at the end of a long straight avenue lined with trees, a bronze stag stands on the dome of a palace that looks like a star dropped on the plain. The Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi was built from 1729 by the architect Filippo Juvarra for King Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy as a hunting lodge, though the word lodge hardly does justice to its grand halls, frescoed ceilings and sprawling wings. It is part of the World Heritage Site of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, inscribed in 1997.
Juvarra designed the building around a central oval hall, from which wings radiate in the shape of a St Andrew's cross, giving views down the avenues of the hunting park. The interior is full of hunting scenes, paintings and furniture, and the central hall, with its galleries and frescoes, is enormous, a ballroom dressed up as a hunting hall. The park, once a hunting reserve, is now a natural park with woods, fields and farms.
Turin is a city of the Savoy dynasty, of baroque palaces and arcaded streets, but also of industry, the home of Fiat and a long history of car and motorcycle manufacturing. The Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile is one of the best car museums in the world. The city's cafés serve bicerin, a layered drink of coffee, chocolate and cream, and the region's food and wine are among the best in Italy.
For riders, Stupinigi is a gateway to the south. The Langhe and Roero hills, with their vineyards, castles and villages, are an hour away, and the roads through them are winding and scenic. Pollenzo, with its royal estate and the University of Gastronomic Sciences founded by the Slow Food movement, and Govone, with another Savoy castle, are on the way. The Alps rise to the west, with passes into France.
Beinasco, four kilometres away, will fill your tank, and Turin covers every other need, from tyres to a proper espresso. A ride from Stupinigi into the Langhe, with a lunch of tajarin, thin egg pasta, or vitello tonnato and a glass of Barolo or Barbaresco, is one of the great pleasures of Piedmont.