The fourth largest city in Italy is also one of the ten most visited by tourists in the country. Fans of everything Italian will find something to see here! In Turin, in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, there is a Christian relic revered by believers around the world - the shroud in which Jesus was wrapped when he was taken from the cross. Most of the architectural landmarks of Turin date from the period from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Beautiful palaces, castles and squares were built at the time when Turin became the capital of the Duchy of Savoy. Buildings in the styles of Baroque and Renaissance, Art Nouveau and Neoclassicism are successfully combined on the streets of the city, creating a single architectural ensemble.
TOP 10 attractions in Turin
Shroud of Turin and Duomo
The most important Christian relic, largely thanks to which Turin is known throughout the world, the Turin Shroud is kept in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. A piece of linen, in which, according to tradition, the body of the Savior was wrapped after his death, keeps the original imprints of the body and face of Christ. The Catholic and Orthodox Churches do not officially recognize its authenticity, but, despite this, the Turin Shroud remains the subject of pilgrimage and worship of thousands of believers around the world.
The relic is in the main temple of Turin. You can look at the original canvas only once in a quarter of a century, and the rest of the time a replica of the shrine is available, exhibited in the adjacent to the cathedral in the 17th century. Shroud Chapel.
The Cathedral of Turin itself was built at the end of the 15th century. It has features of Baroque and Renaissance architectural styles:
- The foundation stone of the Duomo was laid in 1491 by the widow of Charles I, Bianca di Monferrato.
- Earlier, on the site of the construction of the cathedral, there were temples erected in the era of the formation of Christianity in the Apennines.
- The Duomo building is built of white marble and stands out from the rest of the buildings.
- The stairs leading to the Shroud Chapel are made of dark stone and symbolize the defeat of death before the divine light penetrating through the hole in the dome.
The attention of visitors to the Duomo can be attracted by the exposition of the Museum of Sacred Art, housed in the temple.
Superga
The dome of the Superga Basilica in Turin is often referred to as the Vatican's rival to St. Peter's Basilica. The honor of its construction belongs to the architect Filippo Juvarra, a true genius of the late Baroque, who worked at the beginning of the 18th century. The first masterpiece of the architect was the palace in Messina for the Duke of Savoy, and the church in the suburbs of Turin is called today an example of noble simplicity and high style.
The basilica hovers over the city from the top of the Superga hill.
Turin legend claims that Victor Amadeus II, the future king of Sardinia, and his cousin Eugene of Savoy watched from the top as the French and Spaniards tried to take the city in the battle of 1706. The cousins swore an oath that they would build a temple on the hill of Superga if Turin will stand. This is how a beautiful basilica appeared, in which all the Savoyard kings found their last refuge, starting with the one that fulfilled their promise.
Egyptian Museum
The world's first museum, whose collection is dedicated to the civilization of Ancient Egypt, was opened not in the homeland of the pharaohs, but in Turin. Already in 1824, its visitors were able to look at archaeological finds collected during numerous expeditions by the Napoleonic consul in Alexandria, Bernardino Drovetti. The collection was bought by King Carl Felix, succumbing to the general mood that prevailed at the beginning of the 19th century. in Europe. In those years, the Old World was swept by a wave of interest in the gray pyramids and the dynasties of the pharaohs.
However, the history of the creation of the Egyptian Museum in Turin began a hundred years before its official opening, when a tablet from a temple dedicated to the goddess Isis fell into the hands of King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia. The monarch sent the court scholar Vitaliano Donati in search of such rarities.
Over time, the exposition of the Turin Museum began to yield to the collections of more eminent brothers, but this does not stop tourists coming to the center of the Piedmont region. The museum in Turin remains one of the most visited in the city.
Mole Antonelliana
In 1888, an experimental building was inaugurated, which was founded as the country's main synagogue 25 years earlier, when Turin was listed as the capital of Italy. Until 2011, the Mole Antonelliana remained the tallest building in the Apennines. The tip of its spire rises above Turin by 167.5 m. It has not yet broken another building record - it tops the rating of the highest brick buildings in the Old World.
The Jewish community refused further funding during the construction, as the costs significantly exceeded the planned ones. Then Mole Antonelliana was transferred to the balance of the city, and the authorities completed the work. In 1908, the Risorgimento Museum moved into the premises, which became the highest in the world among museums. Today in the Mole Antonelliana you can look at the exhibits of the National Museum of Cinematography of Turin.
Palazzo Madama
The baroque façade of the Madama Palace in Turin is somewhat discordant with its rear wing, which retains its gloomy medieval outlines. The reason for such an oddity of the architectural project is that the palazzo was built on the site of an ancient Roman camp and the designers used part of the fortifications of that era.
Architect Filippo Juvarra was responsible for the facade. Completed by 1721, it seems somewhat austere in comparison with other examples of the North Italian Baroque. The medieval wing was built three centuries earlier.
During its existence, the Palazzo Madama managed to serve as the residence of representatives of the House of Savoy and dowager regents, due to which it got its current name. Then the Piedmont Parliament and the Supreme Court were based in the palace. Since 1934, the palace has been used to display the exposition of the Museum of Ancient Art of Turin.
Royal Palace
Ruling since the XI century. the county of Savoy, and then - the Sardino-Piedmont and Italian kingdoms of the dynasty in the 17th century. commissioned the architects di Castellmonte to design a new residence in Turin. The first owner of the magnificent Baroque palazzo was Christina French. Later, in the 18th century, a grand staircase appeared in the palace, the author of the project of which was the famous master Filippo Juvarra. The chapel at the palace was connected with the Turin Cathedral, where the most important relic, the Turin Shroud, is kept.
In 2012, the city art gallery moved to one of the wings of the palace complex, and the palace itself, along with other palace complexes of the Savoy dynasty, is protected by UNESCO in the World Heritage List.
Palazzo carignano
The lush, convex-concave façade of the Turin residence of the House of Savoy is one of the city's most photographed landmarks. The red brick building in an atypical Italian Baroque style was designed and built in 1679 by the Turin mathematician, theologian and architect Guarino Guarini. His style is usually called curvilinear architecture or architectura obliqua. Among all geometric forms, Guarini preferred the oval and relied on the knowledge of stereometry when designing buildings.
The Carignano Palace is famous for the fact that in 1820 the first king of Italy, Vittorio Emmanuel II, was born there. This significant event is reflected in the exposition of the museum, located in the palazzo.
Rivoli Castle
The honor of building the former residence of the House of Savoy in the Turin suburb of Rivoli belongs to the architects of the IX-X centuries. Then the building experienced various events, including the feuds of the representatives of the dynasty with the bishops, as a result of which the castle was badly damaged at the end of the 12th century. In the 15th century, the citadel of Rivoli became famous as the site of the first veneration of the Shroud of Turin on its way to its permanent storage in the Duomo.
The abdicated Victor-Amadeus lived in the castle, then the premises housed a barracks, a library and, finally, in 1984, an exposition of the Museum of Modern Art, which is very famous in the Old World, was opened there.
Palatine Gate and Towers
The ancient gates and towers of the Palatine in Turin have been preserved since the days of the Roman Empire. Historians date them to the 1st century. BC. The name of the gate was due to its proximity to one of the main Turin palaces, and their initial task was to let those who had reason and pious intentions to enter the city through the fortress wall. The wall was built around a settlement that existed in ancient times on the site of the modern capital of Piedmont.
Polygonal towers on the sides of the ancient gate appeared much later - in the Middle Ages. The approximate date of construction is the end of the XIV or the beginning of the XV centuries. A couple of centuries ago, the city authorities wanted to demolish the ancient ruins, but the architect Antonio Bernola persuaded them to leave the landmark of Turin in its original place.
Automobile Museum
The Piedmont region is famous for its automobiles, and the achievements of the Italian automobile industry are reflected in the collection of one of the most interesting contemporary museums in the city. The idea of its appearance belongs to the inhabitants of the city by the name of di Ruffia, who in 1932 allowed everyone to enjoy their own collection of cars. Three decades later, the exposition moved to a new building, designed specifically for the needs of the museum.
Since then, the collection has been replenished, and on its three floors you can not only see the most popular and famous models of the Fiat automaker, but also trace the history of auto racing, in which Ferrari, Lancia and Alfa Romeo cars participated. In one of the halls, the attention of visitors is invariably attracted by exhibits related to the environmental problems of the modern world and attempts to solve them, embodied by the designers of modern vehicles.
