The construction of Palazzo Carignano, commissioned to Guarino Guarini by Prince Emanuele Filiberto Savoy-Carignano (aka "The Deaf-Dumb"), began in 1679.

The building, with its brickwork façade, consists of an ellyptical main body and two side wings enclosing a courtyard.

Of great architectural interest, the façade is an interplay of curves, which made this building stand out amongst its more conventional, straight-lined contemporaries.
The main-floor windows are decorated with friezes portraying the head of an American Indian, to commemorate the victory of one of the Carignanos' regiments over the Iroquois during the colonization of Canada.

Inside, part of the palace is richly decorated with stuccoes, carvings and frescoes. Especially remarkable are those painted by Stefano Legnani (aka "Il Legnanino", 1660-1715)

The building is one of the grandest and most outstanding Sabaudian residences, recently declared "Treasures of Humanity" by UNESCO

Building underwent a second phase between 1864 and 1871, when Gaetano Ferri's plan was carried out by Giuseppe Bollati. The palace was enlarged to house the Chamber of the new Italian Parliament and a back façade was built overlooking present-day Piazza Carlo Alberto.

In 1884, Carlo Ceppi embellished the ellyptical Baroque with a grandiose gable bearing an inscription celebrating Vittorio Emanuele II's birth in the palace.

The building was the residence of the Savoy-Carignano family till 1799, when Napoleon's government chose it as the seat of the Prefecture of the Po Department. Palazzo Carignano was the birthplace of kings Carlo Alberto, in 1798, and Vittorio Emanuele II, in 1820.

Since 1814, the building's history intertwined with that of the Italian Risorgimento: from its balcony, on March 21, 1821, Prince Regent Carlo Alberto read out a proclaim granting the Spanish Constitution.

Following Carlo Alberto's accession to the throne and his move to Palazzo Reale, Palazzo Carignano was ceded to the State Demesne: it became the seat of the State Council and, later on, of the Central Post Office. In 1848, the building was chosen as the seat of the Chamber of Deputies of the Subalpine Parliament and to this purpose architect Carlo Sada modified the Feast Hall. When the first Italian Parliament was established, the old Parliament hall turned out to be too small. Temporary quarters were built in the courtyard, and were used till Italy's capital was transferred to Florence in 1864.

Palazzo Carignano has since housed a number of institutions and cultural associations, as well as the quarters of the Soprintendenza ai Beni Artistici (National Heritage Authority), that is still the main occupant of the building together with the Museum of the Italian Risorgimento [=>].

The National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento was previously housed in the Mole Antonelliana, following the decision of Turin's municipal council of erecting a national monument to celebrate Vittorio Emanuele II in 1878.

Those quarters proved to be inadequate and Palazzo Carignano was chosen in their stead. All exhibits, the Archives and the Library were transferred to the present location in 1938 and accomodated in several rooms around the Hall of the Subalpine Parliament. The original visit included the Princes' apartment on the ground floor, and it is hoped that this itinerary may soon be resumed.

Today, the Museum consists of 26 rooms. Exhibits are arranged in chronological order. They include works of art and memorabilia (documents, autographs, proclaims, books, and reconstructions) that commemorate the most significant events of the Risorgimento, the First World War, the antifascist underground, and the Resistance.