From war machine to “decorous backdrop”: the Citadel of Turin in the nineteenth century

The citadel of Turin, built in the sixteenth century by the duke Emanuele Filiberto, became an expensive and obsolete object that hampered the enlargements during the nineteenth century. The Enlargement Plan for the capital designed by Carlo Promis (1851-1852) progressively reduced the military constraints facing the citadel. In 1856 the City Council decreed the demolition of the defensive structure. During the demolition one section of the building was spared: the donjon. In 1864 it became the urban background of the statue erected in honor of Pietro Micca, the “soldier mineworker” hero of the siege in 1706. Therefore, this project became an opportunity for the Municipality and the Ministry of War to discuss two central issues. On one hand, the need to set up a “decorous backdrop” to the Piedmontese hero, and on the other hand keeping the costs of the restoration project to a minimum. A well-known architect from Turin named Carlo Ceppi presented an accurate report about the choices of the “restoration” works. Finally, in 1892 the responsibility of the work was given to the engineer Riccardo Brayda, who was an expert in medieval and modern architecture.