Turin

What to see in Turin in a weekend: Egyptian Museum, Mole Antonelliana, Piazza San Carlo, Chapel of the Shroud, Palazzo Madama

Turin, a city that boasts many firsts including the birth of the first football team, the first driverless subway or the first ice cream cone, is also the apex city of the two magic triangles: on the one hand that of white magic together with Prague and Lyon, and on the other that of black magic, with London and San Francisco.

Nearby passes the so-called Sword Blow that the Archangel Michael inflicted on the devil to send him back to the underworld: an imaginary line that connects the Monastery of San Michele in England, Mount Saint Michel in France, the Sacra di San Michele near Turin (which has inspired the book The Name of the Rose), the Sanctuary of Michael the Archangel on the Gargano and the Monastery of San Michele in Greece on the island of Simi.

History of the city

"Turin has always been a great little capital of our country. Officially, the history of the city begins around 27 BC, with the Roman name of Augusta Taurinorum. According to legends, the latter was built on the settlement of Taurasia, the mythical capital of the Tauri, set on fire by Hannibal in the long march towards Rome, Augusta Taurinorum was part of Rome's organizational plans for the newly conquered Piedmont area which, being a land of entry into Italy, was particularly strategic.

According to the plans, the colony was to be the Roman outpost towards Gaul and the center of the main communication routes of the time towards the transalpine world, at the foot of the main Alpine passes and at the western end of the Po valley.

The city was designed with the traditional orthogonal plan of the Roman colonies, i.e. with square blocks and an almost square wall structure. If in the first centuries of its history the city prospered in Italy pacified by Rome, with the crisis of the Empire its strategic position assumed greater importance, causing it considerable damage during the conflict between Constantine and Maxentius and, with the fall of the Roman Empire , to the constant passage of barbarian hordes, the city was devastated several times. The arrival of the Longobards brought relative peace: Turin was the capital of one of the four duchies of today's Piedmont and enjoyed a couple of centuries of sufficient peace. Then the inevitable clash between the Lombards and the Franks had one of its battle grounds in Turin. After the defeat of the Lombards and the rise of the Franks, the city became a judicial seat." Informagiovani

Egyptian Museum

The Egyptian Museum of Turin is housed in the seventeenth-century building of Palazzo dell'Accademia delle Scienze, and is the most important Egyptian museum in the world after the one in Cairo.

Inside there are about 6,500 finds including statues, sarcophagi and funerary objects, mummies, papyrus, amulets, jewels. An immense treasure of inestimable value to be discovered together with the history and mysteries of this ancient civilization.

🎫💰 Entry is currently allowed only with an online ticket that can be purchased here at the cost of 18€

Mole Antonelliana

The Mole Antonelliana is the symbol par excellence of Turin and is one of the tallest buildings in Italy and the tallest masonry construction in Europe. It takes its name from Alessandro Antonelli, the architect who designed it. Inside, the panoramic lift, built in 1961 for the celebrations of the centenary of the Unification of Italy, allows you to reach the "little temple" positioned above the dome at a height of 85 meters. From there it is possible to admire a splendid view of the city of Turin.

Inside there is also the Cinema Museum.

Piazza San Carlo

Piazza San Carlo frequently hosts concerts, demonstrations, electoral rallies and various social and cultural events, as well as celebrations for the victories of the Juventus football team. Several names were given to the square over the centuries: it was first Piazza Reale, then Piazza d'Armi and Place Napoléon in the Napoleonic period.

As in the case of many other monuments and places of interest in Turin, the history of Piazza San Carlo is intertwined with the vicissitudes of the Savoy family. The square was inaugurated in 1638 and represented the desire of the Duke of Savoy to expand the city towards the south, after Turin became the capital of the kingdom.

Chapel of the Shroud

The work of the architect Guarino, the Chapel of the Shroud of Turin was built to house the linen cloth imprinted with the image that Christians identify with the deposed Christ (Holy Shroud). The famous relic, owned by the Savoys since 1453, is now kept in a special display case at the end of the left aisle of the Cathedral.

Palazzo Madama

UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is part of the Savoy Residences System.

The history of the palace reaches its moment of maximum splendor in 1637, when Maria Cristina of Bourbon of France, regent of Savoy, makes the palace her residence. With her begins the process of embellishment that will make it a luxurious and sumptuous home, both outside and inside.

🕍 Other places to visit are:

- The Valentino and the Medieval Village to see numerous statues and fountains in addition to the rock garden

- Royal Museums for a dive into the history of the city and of Italy

- Church of the Consolata, from the early Christian age

- Covered galleries to discover architectural curiosities

🍷 What to eat:

- Bagna cauda

- Veal with tuna sauce

- Agnolotti

- Tommini

- Piedmontese mixed fried

Itinerary on the map:

Click here to see the map and using during the travel