Turin is the capital of the province of the same name and of the Piedmont region. Together with Milan, it is Italy’s most important industrial city and the fourth largest city in the country. Part of the historic center of Torino is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Turin city guide
Italian name: Torino. Region: Piedmont (Piemonte). Province: Torino. Postal code: 10121 to 10156. Area code: 011. City Hall: Piazza Palazzo di Città, 1 (tel. +39 011011999). There are 3 Uffici di Turismo in Turin: Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 53 (every day 09:00 to 18:00); Piazza Castello/ Via Garibaldi (every day 09:00 to 18:00); Via Riberi (every day 09:00 to 19:00).
By car/public transportation
Airports: The city has two airports, namely Aeroporto Torino-Caselle and Aeroporto Cuneo-Levaldigi. The latter is mainly used by budget airlines. Both are easily accessible by public transport.
By train and bus: The central station of the city is called Porta Nuova. It is within walking distance of the historic center and the main attractions. It is the third busiest station in the country. The main connections are with Genoa, with Milan and with France. The main bus terminal is located on Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
By car: The main highway is the A4, which connects the city with Milan and Venice. Other highways lead to Brescia, Aosta and Savona, among others.
Tourist attractions, what to see and do
Most of the tourist attractions in Turin are due to the fact that the Royal House of Savoy was based in the city. The palaces of this royal family are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Also, thanks to the Shroud of Turin, there is a lot of religious tourism.
Museums of Turin
The Galleria Sabauda houses a collection assembled by the ancient Italian royal house of Savoy. This art museum displays mainly Flemish and local Piedmontese paintings.
The National Cinema Museum has its seat in the Mole Antonelliana.
The collection of the Museum of Antiquities consists of archaeological finds in the city itself and in the greater Piedmont area. The ruins of the Roman Theater are included in the ticket.
The Museo Storico d’Artiglieria in the Mastio della Cittadella is the oldest military museum in Italy. The Mastio is all that remains of the 16th century citadel that used to be the city’s main defensive stronghold.
The collection of the Museo Civico d’Arte Antica in the Palazzo Madama consists mainly of medieval, Renaissance and Baroque art. The Torre Panoramico provides a magnificent view of Turin.
The Egyptian Museum is considered the most important of its kind not located in Egypt itself. Its seat is the 17th century Palazzo dell’Accademia delle Scienze.
The Pietro Micca museum is dedicated to an Italian soldier who heroically died while defending Turin against the French troops.
The Regional Museum of Natural Sciences has its seat in the former San Giovanni Hospitala.
The Royal Armoury is located in a hallway connected to the Palazzo Madama.
The Pinacoteca dell’Academia Albertina hosts both a permanent collection and temporary exhibitions.
Churches of Turin
The most important church of Turin is the Cathedral of San Giovanni Baptista, especially since it is here that the famous Holy Shroud is preserved.
Of the original 5th century Basilia La Consolata is hardly anything left. The bell tower is the only medieval element that has remained intact.
The church of San Domenico is the only Gothic church of the city.
The church of San Francesco d’Assisi dates back to the 12th century. Reconstructions through the ages were often paid for by aristocratic families and by tradesmen’s guilds.
The main attraction of the Cappella dei Mercanti is a fresco cycle by Andrea Pozzo.
The church of the Holy Martyrs in the Via Garibaldi is dedicated to the three patron saints of Turin.
The Basilica Mauriziana, the church of the Immaculate Conception, the church of Santa Teresa d’Avila and the church of San Francesco da Paola were constructed in the 17th century.
The Chiesa del Carmine, the church of San Michele and the Church of Santa Maria di Piazza were built in the 18th century.
The biggest church of the city is the Chiesa di San Filippo Neri.
The basilica of Corpus Domini owes its existence to a miraculous event. The small chapel that was originally built in the spot was later transformed into a bigger church.
The dome of the 19th century Church of Gran Madre di Dio is based on the one of the Pantheon in Rome.
The Church of Santa Maria Ausiliatrice was also built in the same century.
Savoy attractions
Piazza Castello is the main square of the city. The buildings in its center are the Palazzo Madama and the Castello degli Acaja. Other buildings facing this enormous square include the Teatro Regio and the Church of San Lorenzo, which was built by order of the royal family itself.
Part of the Royal Palace is used as a museum complex, including the Biblioteca Reale. The Cavallerizza Reale is the Royal Manège.
The ground floor of the Palazzo Chiablese is used for temporary exhibitions of the Royal Museums.
The Royal Gardens (Giardini Reali) take up almost 7 hectares of space.
Squares
Both the Piazza San Carlo, with the church of the same name and the church of Santa Cristina, and the Piazza Carlo Felice, are located close to the railway station. The latter is characterized by its typical 19th century porticoes.
The Piazza Vittorio Veneto is one of the biggest squares of Italy. It is here that most of the important cultural events in the city take place.
The Piazza Solferino has a central fountain and one of the best known skyscrapers of the city (Torre Solferino).
The main attraction on the Piazza Carlina is the Chiesa di Santa Croce.
The Piazza della Repubblica started its existence as a military training ground, but is now the background of the city’s largest market.
Now quite polluted, but when it was constructed, the Piazza Maria Teresa was seen as a “Parisian” corner of Turin.
Historical buildings
The Palazzo di Città, in the square of the same name, is Turin’s Town Hall.
The Casa Romagnano is an originally medieval house that was restored by Riccardo Brayda around 1885.
The 17th century Palazzo Bricherasio is being used for modern art exhibitions. The Palazzo Solaro del Borgo, the Palazzo Lascaris, the Palazzo dal Pozzo della Cisterna, the Palazzo Asinari di San Marzano and the Palazzo Falletti di Barolo date back to the same century.
The Castello (or Palazzo) Valentino is located on the banks of the river Po. One of the UNESCO World Heritage sites of the city, unfortunately only part of the building is open to visitors. The church of San Salvario was built at the beginning of a street that used to lead to the castle.
The Palazzo del Senato Sabaudo dates back to the 18th century, as do the Palazzo Benso di Cavour and the Palazzo Birago di Borgaro, the current seat of the city’s Chamber of Commerce.
The Palazzo Carignano is the palace where the Unification of Italy was declared in 1861. It is fitting that it is now the seat of the Museo del Risorgimento.
The Palazzo dell’Università takes up an entire block along the Via Po.
The “Little House of Divine Providence”, better known as Cottolengo, takes up three entire blocks. Most of the complex is used as a hospital.
Modern buildings
The Mole Antonelliana, which houses the Museo del Cinema, is a tall (167 meters) tower with a striking aluminum spire.
FIAT Mirafiori, inaugurated in 1937, is the oldest car factory in Europe. It also used to be the biggest industrial complex of Italy.
Main streets in the center of the city
The Via Roma connects the central station to the Piazza Castello.
The Via Giuseppe Garibaldi connects the Piazza Castello to the Piazza Statuto.
The Via Po runs from the Piazza Castello to, not surprisingly, the river Po.
The Via Pietro Micca runs from Piazza Castello to Piazza Solferino, and is thus the only diagonal street in a neighborhood characterized by a grid-like layout.
The Via Milano connects Piazza Palazzo di Città with the northern city gate.
The Via Cernaia connects the Piazza XVIII Dicembre to the Piazza Solferino.
The, partly porticoed, 4,2 km Corso Vittorio Emanuele II runs through the historical center, starting at the Piazza Umberto I and continuing all the way to Piazza Rivoli.
The slightly shorter Corso Galileo Ferraris crosses the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II halfway.
Parks and gardens
The main park of the city is the Parco del Valentino. The Borgo Medioevale inside this park is not actually Medieval at all, but a collection of buildings created for the General Italian Exposition (Esposizione Generale Italiana) held in the city in 1884.
Miscellaneous attractions
The Porta Palatina, flanked by two enormous polygonal towers, is the most impressive surviving Roman monument of the city.
What to see outside the center
The Villa della Regina, located on a hill outside the center, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its first nucleus was built in the early 17th century.
The Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi is a palace originally intended as a hunting lodge a short distance from Turin. It is also on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The basilica di Superga owes its greatest fame to the fact that in 1949 a plane carrying the entire Torino soccer team flew into a thick fog against the hill on which the church was built.
The Stabilimento FIAT Lingotto is located about three kilometers south of the center. The famous architect Renzo Piano has transformed this former FIAT factory into a congress and exhibition center.
In the early 17th century, the Villa Paradiso was owned by Giovan Battista Boasso. After his death, the grounds were donated to the San Giovanni Hospital.
The Santa Maria del Monte dei Cappuccini Church was constructed toward the end of the 16th century. Part of the convent next door is now used as the seat of a mountain museum called Museo Nazionale della Montagna Duca degli Abruzzi.
The Villa Abegg, used by the municipality as a study center, is the former vineyard of “Madama Reale”.