When, in 1715, Count Baldassarre Saluzzo di Paesana commissioned the construction of a lavish villa for himself, he asked for a building to rival the luxury of the Royal Palace. His requests included a vast courtyard and two entrance gates, one on via della Consolata, the other on via Bligny: an unprecedented display of wealth for the times. On top of that, the villa's inauguration was marked by a luxurious banquet, during which guests were sat on large bags filled with gold. King Victor Amadeus II wasn't a fan of the Count's opulence, and ordered him to close one of the building's two gates. The nobleman was forced to obey... in part because his love of ostentation had by then submerged him in debt. A few years later, the villa was repurposed as a residential building.