Historic places in Turin

Historic places in Turin

1. See

   Basilica of Superga

   This hilltop basilica was built in thanksgiving for the 1706 defeat of the French at Turin. Often incorrectly called a cathedral, it's in sort-of-classical-with-baroque style, and houses the tombs of many nobles of the House of Savoy. Superga hill derives its name from Serrapergia meaning "mountain between the hills". Nearby is a monument to the air crash of 1949, which wiped out Torino FC. Get here by car, bus, rack-railway, or the hiking trails, but the approach road is narrow with no sidewalk so it is not safe for walking.

   Daily 10:00-13:00, 14:30-17:00·Free

2. See

   Castello di Rivoli

   Museo d'Arte Contemporanea

   The hilltop castle was built around 900 AD but from the 17th century had so many incomplete extensions, abandoned or wrecked by the French, that owners and architects risked being driven mad. One who did go mad was King Victor Amadeus II (1666-1732), who horrified noble society by publicly marrying his mistress here; he was deposed and incarcerated within the castle to stop him declaring war on Milan or Poland or heaven knows where. The building later became a barracks but fell derelict until restored in the 1980s. It's now a museum of contemporary art.

   Wed-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat Sun 11:00-18:00·Adult €10, conc €6.50

3. See

   Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist

   Duomo; Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista

   Large elegant cathedral dating from late 15th century, enlarged in the 17th to create the Chapel for the Shroud of Turin. However this chapel (rebuilt after a fire in 1997) is nowadays accessed as part of a tour of Palazzo Reale and can't be seen from the Cathedral; visit the nearby Sindone Museum to see a copy of the Shroud.

   Daily 09:00-13:00 & 15:00-19:00·Free

4. See

   La Mandria

   The "hunting lodge" grew into such a vast palace that what was needed was a new hunting lodge. However, King Victor Emmanuel II needed somewhere to ensconce his mistress La Bela Rosin, so this new lodge in turn became so big and blinged up that... life can be really tough when you're a plutocrat monarch. Wild boar, deer and rare breeds of horse roam the park, which has multiple access points. In the 20th century it acquired a golf course and a motor-racing track.

   Tue-Sun 10:00-16:00·Adult €8 or combi-ticket with Venaria

5. See

   La Venaria Reale

   Built as a royal hunting lodge from 1675, this grew and grew into a humonguous bling palace, trying to outshine Versailles. It became a barracks and was knocked about in Napoleonic times, remaining military until the 1930s, then the vandals set about it. Restoration was piecemeal until 1996, then a ten-year project brought it back to its former baroque opulence. Highlights include the Salone di Diana, the Galleria Grande, the chapel of Sant’Uberto and the Scuderie (stables). The Gardens are a modern re-imagining. The palace was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.

   Tue-Fri 09:30-17:00, Sat Sun 09:30-18:30·Adult €20, conc €16, under-22 €10

6. See

   Moncalieri Castle

   This castle was built as a fortress by Thomas I of Savoy, but enlarged into a pleasure palace in the mid-15th century. From the 19th century it was especially used by queen mothers and princesses. Today it houses the Carabinieri, though the castle and its apartments can be visited. Reservation required.

   Fri-Sun 10:00-17:00·Adult €7, conc €5

7. See

   Museo Egizio

   "The road to Memphis and Thebes passes through Turin" said Egyptologist Jean-François Champollion about Museo Egizio in Turin, second only in order of importance to the one in Cairo. Many artifacts were collected by Bernardino Drovetti (1776 - 1852) when he was consul of France in Egypt. In 1824, King Carlo Felice di Savoia purchased the diplomat's entire collection and housed it in the palace built in the 17th century by design of architect Michelangelo Garove (which was firstly Collegio dei Nobili, then seat of Accademia delle Scienze and still houses the museum). The visit begins with floor -1 hypogeous with History of the Museum (highlights - Mensa Isiaca, statue of Isis from Coptos, Iuefankh's Book of the Dead); taking the escalator we reach floor 2 with Material Culture Galleries, Predynastic, Old Kingdom, Textiles Gallery, Tomb of the Unknown (intact), Tomb of Iti and Neferu, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom (highlights - Gebelein Canvas, pleated tunics, faience hippo statuette, statue of Aanen, statue of Hel); taking Sanpaolesi staircase we reach floor 3 with Writing Gallery (highlights - double cartouche from Temple of the Aten, Papyrus of Kings, Judicial Papyrus, pyramidion from the Tomb of Ramose); returning to floor 2, then descending Mazzucchetti staircase we reach floor 1 with Village of Deir el-Medina, In Search of Life (human remains), Egyptian Gardens (on the terrace), Tomb of Kha and Merit (intact), Coffin Gallery, Valley of the Queens, Late Period, Ptolemaic Period, Roman and Late Antique Period (highlights - statue of Pendua and Nefertari, Erotic-Satirical Papyrus, Maya Chapel, Butehamon Coffin, animal mummies, amulets); the visit ends taking Mazzucchetti staircase to floor 0 with Gallery of Kings and Temple of Ellesiya (highlights - statues of Ramses II, Sethi II, Tutmosis III, Sekhmet). Analog services: cloakroom (floor -1 hypogeous), rest area "Caffè con ME" (reached from Room 7), museum shop (floor -1 hypogeous), kids area "Spazio ZeroSei Egizio"

   Mon 09:00-14:00; Tue-Sun 09:00-18:30·Ticket online (suggested)

8. See

   Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali

   Trad natural history display of rocks and stuffed animals in a former hospital.

   Daily 10:00-18:00·Adult €5, conc €3

9. See

   Museum of the Shroud

   Museo della Sindone

   The original Sindone or Turin Shroud is in safekeeping in the Cathedral and rarely displayed. This small museum displays a copy and studies the Shroud. It's a remarkable object whatever it is, a 4.4 x 1.1 m winding sheet charred by fire and appearing to bear the likeness of a man, matching the Gospel description of the crucifixion of Jesus. Multiple tests have produced contradictory results, or at least contradictory interpretations. It's only reliably known to have existed since 1390 when it was denounced as a forgery, and radio-carbon dating matches that. But no deliberate attempt to reproduce it has managed to capture all its qualities, especially the 3D effect of its photo negative, and neither natural nor artificial processes convincingly explain it. So just look and wonder.

   Daily 15:00-18:00·Adult €8, conc €6

10. See

    Palazzo Barolo

    Baroque bling palace, visit by guided tour. Its last private owner Carlo Tancredi Falletti di Barolo served Napoleon then worked tirelessly for relief of the poor; his palace then became an opera house.

    Tue-Fri 14:30-18:00, Sat Sun 14:30-19:00·Adult €6, conc €4

11. See

    Palazzo Reale

    The Palace was built in the 16th century, modernised in the 17th and converted to a museum in 1946. The result is a wacky hybrid of medieval, baroque and bling. You enter via the palace gardens to reach the ticket office. The ticket covers five attractions: - Galleria Sabauda houses the vast art collection of the rulers of Savoy. - Chapel of the Shroud is accessed this way, and from a gallery looks into the Cathedral. - Royal Apartments: gilt, red flock, chandeliers, vast paintings, and everything else to impress. - Royal Armoury: dating from the 16th century, the 1833 collection of Sardinian king Carlo Alberto. - Royal Library: this contains some 200,000 print volumes, 4500 manuscripts, 3055 drawings, 187 incunabula predating 1501, 5019 16th-century books, 20,987 pamphlets, 1500 works on parchment, 1112 periodicals, and 400 photo albums, maps, engravings, and prints. It contains several works Leonardo da Vinci's: Codex on the Flight of Birds, his self-portrait, his study for the angel in his Virgin of the Rocks and his study for the angel in Verrocchio's The Baptism of Christ.

    Tue-Sun 09:00-19:00·Adult €15

12. See

    Santuario della Consolata

    Church of the Virgin of the Consolation

    A church and Benedictine monastery may have stood here since the 5th century. Most of it is from 1680 to 1740, an over-the-top profusion of baroque.

    Mon-Fri 08:00-19:30, Sat 07:30-19:00, Sun 07:30–20:30·Free

13. See

    Villa della Regina

    A royal palace and gardens on a hill east edge of the city. It's modest by Savoyard standards but plush with Chinese and Baroque interiors. This reflects the era of Anne Marie d'Orléans, in residence from 1692. Next to the Villa, the Queen's vineyard has been productive since the 1600s, and its "Freisa di Chieri DOC - Villa della Regina" red wine is on sale here.

    Tue-Sun 09:30-12:00, 14:30-17:00·Adults €7, age 18-25 €2

14. See Not mapped

    Museo Civico d'Arte Antica

    Museum of Ancient Art

    This museum is within Palazzo Madama on Piazza Castello. It's misnamed, as the art collection is Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque, and more ancient (eg Byzantine) work is elsewhere.

    Wed-Sun 10:00-18:00·Adult €10, conc €8

15. See

    Museo Nazionale della Montagna Duca degli Abruzzi

    History of alpine mountaineering.

    Tue-Sun 10:30-18:00

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Turin (CC BY-SA 4.0).