It took 100 designers, 80 technicians, 800 laborers, and nearly $300 million, but the first phase of the restoration of the Grande Reggia palace at the Venaria Reale estate in Turin, Italy, has reopened to the public. The estate, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was designed during the 17th and 18th centuries by such famed architects as Filippo Juvarra for the royal family of Savoy but has been largely abandoned for the past 200 years. The initial phase of the project involved Juvarra's church of St. Umberto (below) and rooms and artwork in the residences. More than 3,000 square feet of frescoes and 475,000 square feet of stucco and plaster work were renovated. The complex will be used as a center for art exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural activities.
