What to do and see in Turin
Turin is a city that blends the ancient with the modern, a city that embodies the history not only of Piedmont but of Italy as a whole. An ancient Roman settlement (Augusta Taurinorum), with significant historical remains such as the Porte Palatine—one of the ancient gateways to the original Roman city— Turin became the capital of the Kingdom of Savoy and, in 1861, the first capital of Italy.
These two thousand years of history have left behind a wealth of monuments, foremost among them the Mole Antonelliana, the city’s symbol and home to the National Cinema Museum. Another source of pride for the city is the Egyptian Museum, the second most important in the world after the one in Cairo, where visitors can find incredible artifacts from ancient Egyptian civilization.
The heart of the city is Piazza Castello, surrounded by the Royal Palace, the Royal Library, the Royal Armory, Palazzo Madama(located in the center of the square), the Church of San Lorenzo, and the Teatro Regio, home to one of Italy’s leading opera companies. The city has a grid-like layout that makes it easy for tourists to find their way around, alternating between majestic tree-lined boulevards and side streets lined with numerous historic buildings that house works of art bearing witness to an illustrious past.
Learn More About Turin’s Food and Wine Culture
Other royal palaces worth visiting include Palazzo Carignano, currently home to the Museum of the Renaissance and formerly the seat of Italy’s first Parliament; Villa della Regina, the queen’s country residence; and finally, the Castello del Valentino, located in the park of the same name, which is the city’s largest public park.
Other places of artistic and cultural interest in the city and its surrounding area include the Cathedral, where the Holy Shroud is kept, the Subalpina Gallery, Piazza Vittorio Veneto, Piazza San Carlo, Piazza Carlo Felice, and Piazza Statuto. On the outskirts, you can find Rivoli Castle, home to the Museum of Modern Art; Moncalieri Castle; the Stupinigi Hunting Lodge; the Ducal Palace of Agliè; Mandria Castle; and the Royal Palace of Venaria, one of Italy’s most visited monuments. Heading into the Susa Valley, you’ll come across the Sacra di San Michele: built atop a rocky outcrop, it dominates the entire valley.
There is also the religious complex of Sant’Antonio di Ranverso and the Novalesa Abbey. At the bottom of the valley lie Sestriere and the Via Lattea ski area, where the 2006 Winter Olympics were held and where you can enjoy all kinds of winter sports.
Among the province’s most important events, we would like to highlight the Book Fair and the Food Fair, which have grown to international proportions, the Stresa Music Festival, and the MiTo concerts.
