Think of royal hunting lodges transformed. What if they became centers for groundbreaking veterinary science? That is the story of the Facoltà di Veterinaria in Torino.
The Facoltà di Veterinaria boasts a rich history. It began in 1769. Carlo Emanuele III wanted to improve veterinary practices. He sent surgeons to Lyon to study at the veterinary school there.
Giovanni Brugnone excelled in Lyon. He returned to Turin. Brugnone was tasked to create a similar institution. He established it within the hunting lodge of Venaria Reale. The school’s primary mission was clear. It focused on caring for the army’s horses.
The Facoltà di Veterinaria moved several times. In 1793 it moved to Mandria di Chivasso. Then in 1800 during French rule, it relocated to Valentino Castle in Torino. After a pause from 1814 to 1818 the school reopened in Venaria Reale. Carlo Lessona became the director. The moving did not stop there. In 1834 it was in Fossano. By 1841 it returned to Venaria.
A major change happened between 1847 and 1851. The school became the Agrarian Veterinary Forestry Institute. However it regained its independence later. In 1859 ninety years after its founding, the school found a home at Via Nizza 52 in Torino. Finally in 1934 the Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria joined the University of Torino.
The first century had many changes. The school’s supervision shifted. It went from the war ministry to health then to education and even industry and commerce. This shows the long path to defining its role. By 1860 it became the Royal Higher School of Veterinary Medicine. It was like a university but with its own management. It gave diplomas in zooiatry and later full degrees.
Many great teachers shaped the Facoltà di Veterinaria. Carlo Lessona founded the first Italian veterinary science journal in 1838. Felice Perosino was an anatomist and leader in the army’s veterinary corps. Domenico Vallada taught pathology and was an early expert in food hygiene. Edoardo Perroncito gained global recognition for his work in parasitology. He also found a way to defeat anchylostomiasis a severe parasitic disease.
In the academic year 1996/97 a new teaching area shared with the Faculty of Agriculture opened in Grugliasco. Departmental and hospital facilities were finished in 1999. Between 1999 and 2001 the Facoltà di Veterinaria moved to a new modern campus in Grugliasco. In 2020 the school celebrated its 250th anniversary.
Today the Facoltà di Veterinaria continues its legacy. It advances veterinary medicine. It also protects animal and human health.