Jane Verdonk
Turin is probably known to most people through Fiat, Juventus and the Shroud. The city has approximately 900.000 inhabitants and is the capital of Piedmont.
Turin played an important role in the unification of Italy (the Risorgimento) and was even the capital of Italy from 1861 to 1865.
It is also the city of the Bicerin (a drink with coffee, chocolate milk and cream), the Breadsticks and the magic.
La Legge di Lidia Poet
If you are going to Turin soon and have your Netflix, watch the series La Legge di Lidia Poet. This series is set in Turin in the late 1800s and is partly based on a true story. Lidia was the first female lawyer in Italy.
She graduated in 1881 and was admitted to the Turin Bar Association. Unfortunately, not everyone agreed and after a lawsuit her name was removed. Lidia continued to resist and with success, on July 17, 1919 she was readmitted, she was then 65 years old.
The series shows beautiful images of Turin, including Piazza San Carlo, Palazzo Reale and the Mole Antonelliana still under construction.
High time to take a look at the best tips and sights for Turin!
1.Piazza San Carlo
The Turinians also call this square the salon (= living room) of Turin. This is where people go for a appetizer or a gelato, to listen to buskers or a heated speech from a politician.
Drink an espresso at Caffè Torino (be sure to walk over the bull's testicles, because that brings good luck) or have dinner at San Carlo.
On the square are the baroque 'twin churches', the Santa Cristina and the San Carlo Borromeo. In the middle of the square is a large statue of Duke Emanuele Filiberto.
From this square runs the shopping street Via Roma with shops such as Gucci, Armani, Chanel and so on. to Piazza Castello.
2. Palazzo Madame
In Piazza Castello is the Palazzo Madame with a baroque facade at the front and a medieval fortress with 2 towers at the back.
In Roman times it was one of the 4 gateways to the city, the foundations of this gate can be seen in the museum.
Due to its strategic location, it was expanded in the Middle Ages into a fortress with 2 towers. Especially climb the tower, you have a beautiful view over Turin.
In the 15e in 17e century, it was further expanded into a palace and given the beautiful Baroque facade designed by Filippo Juvarra, who had grandiose plans for the palace, but only one facade was completed.
The large windows overlooking the square had the function of not only letting in the sunlight, but also showing the people what great parties were taking place in the building.
The Museo Civico d'Arte Antica is located in the palace and you can visit a small botanical garden.
3. Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace)
This palace, which has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997, is also located in Piazza Castello. First the bishops lived here, later the dukes of the house of Savoy.
You can visit the palace, see the ballroom, dining room, the royal collection of weapons and more.
Be sure to take a stroll in the gardens and then walk three times around the fountain of Nereid which is said to bring good luck and you might also catch a glimpse of a secret entrance to an alchemical cave…
In one wing of the palace you can see the Gallery Sabauda visit with a large collection of almost 700 artefacts including even a Rembrandt and a Rubens.
Perhaps the most beautiful of the palace is the Cappella della Sacra Sindona which was partly destroyed by a fire in 1997 but has been beautifully restored. This is where the famous shroud is kept.
4. San Giovanni Battista (The Cathedral of Turin)
This church dates from 1491 and was built in the Renaissance style. The facade consists of white marble, the bell tower stands alone next to the cathedral.
In the cathedral is a copy of the famous Shroud of Turin; a linen cloth depicting a man with the same wounds as Jesus Christ.
The original is in the Cappella della Sacra Sindona which can be visited from the Palazzo Reale (next to the shroud there is a staircase leading up to the chapel, but it is closed from the church).
There is still much speculation about the shroud, although scientific evidence has shown that it could not possibly have belonged to Jesus.
In Turin you see demonic faces and masks on various buildings that seem to be looking at you. You can find them on wrought-iron decorations of balconies, on door knockers, on the tops of windows carved in marble, and so on.
It is said that this scares away devils and other evil spirits and prevents them from entering. You can also see examples of this on the facade of the Dom.
Close to the cathedral you can see remains from the Roman period, including the Porta Palatina, a gate with towers built in red stone.
5. Mole Antonelliana
This building, designed by Allessandro Antonelli, can be recognized from afar by its 167 meter high tower. It was actually intended as a synagogue, but it became too expensive and construction stopped.
The city council took over the costs and so it was phased out anyway. In 1897 this was the tallest building in the world.
With the glass elevator you can go up and you have a beautiful view over Turin (not suitable for people with a fear of heights).
The Mole is now used as housing for the Museo del Cinema (film museum).
Before the Second World War, Turin was the Italian city of the film, then Rome became that.
If you like movies, this museum is definitely a must. It tells about the history of the film, it explains how a film is made, you see short pieces of films. You can also walk the red carpet while being photographed by many photographers.
You can also take a seat on a beautiful red couch to watch pieces of film that are projected on the walls of the dome.
This museum is also recommended to visit with children.
6. Juventus Stadium
The correct name for this stadium is Allianz Stadium. It opened in 2011 and has a capacity for 41.000 spectators.
Be sure to book a tour, so you can visit the players' dressing rooms, the media rooms and, like Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro del Piero, walk through the players' tunnel onto the pitch.
Also visit the museum where you can see everything about the history of Juventus with all the cups won and all the players. You can also train your own football skills here.
7. Egyptian Museum
The collection of Egyptian antiquities stems from the collection of Bernardino Dovretti. As Consul General for France, he collected many objects that he offered to the then ruler of France, who declined his offer (!).
The Duke Carlo Felici di Savoye then bought the collection, brought it to Turin and in 1824 formed the first Egyptian museum in the world!
The logo of the museum is the hieroglyph representing the water in the Nile. The entire museum is 2,5 km long, within which a constant temperature of 21-24° prevails.
There are no fewer than 3.300 objects on display.
Be sure to check out the door of the temple of Ellesija from 1454 BC. Egypt donated this to Italy as a thank you for helping with the rescue operation at the Aswan Dam to protect the temples of Nubia.
Other highlights include the statue of Ramesses II, the tomb of Kha and Merit, the Book of the Dead of Luefankh, a papyrus scroll with directions on how to behave once you arrive in the afterlife.
And check out the mummified animals. These were killed and mummified so that they could keep the dead company in the afterlife.
Near this museum is the Carignano square. The first king of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, was born here and the seat of the first Italian parliament from 1961-1865, now the Museo del Risorgimento (museum of the unification of Italy) is located here.
8. Lingotto
Turin is for many the city of Fiat. If you want to learn more about Fiat and the car industry, visit MAUTO (Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile di Torino. Here you can admire 80 brands from 8 different countries.
And go to the former Fiat factory (Lingotto). The factory had a conveyor belt that ran over 5 floors. The parts arrived on the ground floor and the cars were ready on the roof.
They were driven down the test track. The test track can still be visited. The factory closed its doors in 1982.
After the closure, the architect Renzo Piano was commissioned to find a destination for the factory. He designed a spherical conference room on the roof of steel and glass.
You can also visit the Pinacoteca Agnelli, a museum with works from the collection of the Agnelli family with paintings by Matisse, Picasso and Renoir. Furthermore, a shopping center, hotels and restaurants are now located in the old factory.
Opposite Lingotto is located Eataly. In addition to a supermarket, there are also themed restaurants, a ice-cream shop and a bakery.
There are also stalls where you can taste pasta, fish and meat. On the first floor is the Museo Carpano, a museum about the history of vermouth.
9. Basilica of Superga
A nice trip from Turin is the Basilica di Superga. You can reach it by means of a cogwheel train that leaves from Stazione Sassi.
Arrived at the top you have a beautiful view over Turin and you can see the Alps in the distance.
The basilica was designed by Filippo Juvarra in a late Baroque style. It was built by order of Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy because of a vow he made in 1706.
In that year, Turin was besieged by the French army, Amadeo went to the hill of Superga to study the enemy forces.
After studying the weaknesses of the enemy army, he visited a small church where he promised the Virgin Mary that if his army won, he would have her built a church on the same site.
A few days later Vittorio Amedeo II won the battle and a few months later Juvarra was commissioned to build a church. Construction started in 1717 and after 14 years the church was ready.
In 1949 a plane crashed here because of thick fog, in this plane the players of the football club Grande Torino who had played a friendly match against Benfica in Lisbon. In memory of this disaster is a memorial stone behind the basilica.
10. Turin and Magic
Besides the city of Juventus and Fiat, Turin is also the city of magic. The city is said to have been founded by Phaeton (son of the goddess Isis) for the purpose of honoring the cult of Apis, a creature with the characteristics of a bull.
The bull is indeed the symbol of Turin. All the fountains in the city have a bull's head from which the water flows.
Turin is said to form the triangle of black magic along with London and San Francisco. The 'black' heart of the city would be Piazza Statuto.
In this square is a statue in honor of the opening of the Fréjustunnel, the tunnel between Italy and France.
On top is a winged statue that some believe to be the fallen angel Lucifer. Executions used to take place on this square.
However, Turin is also part of the triangle of white magic along with Lyon and Prague. The black and white magic come together on the line (there is a chain) in Piazza del Castello just in front of the Palazzo Reale.
This line is guarded by statues of two figures on horseback, namely the mythological twins Castor and Pollux.
The Egyptian Museum would also have always had something magical. Stories are known of visitors who died of strange diseases after a visit.
If you want to know more about the magic in Turin, book a tour via Somewhere Tours Turin, there are several city tours also in English.
The 'Torino Magica' is at night after dark and is a lot of fun!
Of course there is much more to discover in Turin such as the GAM (Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea) with modern art, the Lavazza Museum with everything about this coffee, the Martini Museum and much more.
If you like walking, go to the Parco Valentino or walk along the Via Po under the arcades where you can find nice shops and many bookstalls.
If you continue walking and cross the river you will come to the Gran Madre di Dio. A church that resembles the Pantheon in Rome and is said to have the Holy Grail here.
In short, Turin has so much to offer that you can definitely come back!
Practical information Turin
From Utrecht it is approximately 1.100 kilometers by car to Turin. Note that the city center has a ZTL zone is where you are not allowed to drive.
It is best to park your car on the outskirts of the city and then continue your journey by public transport. Or you park in a parking garage just outside the ZTL.
A flight from Amsterdam to Torino Airport takes approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes. The airport is located 16 km northwest of the city center.
A CO2-friendly option is with the international train to Italy. There are good connections to Turin from the Netherlands and Belgium. Book international train tickets here.
You can spend the night in Turin in many Airbnbs, holiday homes and hotels. The best accommodations for the best prices we have listed it here for you.
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