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Govone Castle is located in the town of Govone, in the province of Cuneo. It was a royal residence of the House of Savoy from 1792 to 1870. Since 1997, it's been part of the UNESCO World Heritage site 'Savoy Residences' and now serves as the town hall.
A medieval fortress once stood on the site. In the late 1600s, the Solaro family commissioned architect Guarino Guarini to expand and beautify it, though his plans were completed later by Benedetto Alfieri. Acquired by the Savoy family in 1792, the castle became a summer residence. King Charles Felix and Queen Maria Cristina restored it and redesigned the gardens in Italian style. Notably, philosopher Rousseau stayed there in 1730. By the late 1800s, it became property of the municipality.
Since 2007, it's part of the 'Castelli Doc' network, which includes several notable castles in Piedmont.
A highlight is the grand double staircase, adorned with sculptures from the Venaria Reale gardens. The castle also features Chinese wallpaper and frescoes, including a ballroom painted with scenes of Niobe by Luigi Vacca and Fabrizio Sevesi.
Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 as Christian IV’s summerhouse just outside the ramparts of Copenhagen. Christian IV was very fond of the palace and often stayed at the castle when he resided in Copenhagen, and it was here that he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, carried out several types of modernisation.
The last king who used the place as a residence was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.Through the 1700s, considerable art treasures were collected at Rosenborg Castle, among other things items from the estates of deceased royalty and from Christiansborg after the fire there in 1794.
Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment.