The Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, is the Cathedral of Turin, located in the homonymous square, Piazza San Giovanni. The Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista is famous for housing since 1578 the Holy Shroud of Turin. SHORT HISTORY OF THE CATHEDRAL OF SAN GIOVANNI BATTISTA In ancient times, the area in which the cathedral was later built housed three early Christian churches, dedicated to San Salvatore, Santa Maria di Dompno and San Giovanni Battista. The one dedicated to San Giovanni Battista was consecrated during the time of the Lombard King Agilulf, at the end of the 6th or the beginning of the 7th century, when Saint John the Baptist was proclaimed patron of the Lombard kingdom. The three churches were demolished between 1490 and 1492, and on July 22, 1941, the regent of Savoy, widow of Charles I, Blanche of Montferrat, laid the first stone of the future cathedral. The construction of the cathedral was entrusted to Amedeo de Francisco da Settignano, who worked there until his death in 1501. The work on the cathedral was completed in 1505, and the consecration took place on September 21 of the same year. The project Read more [...]
All SEE in Turin
Turin has a rich culture and history, and houses numerous attractions, such as palaces, churches, squares, museums, art galleries, gardens and parks. The city is well known for its Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, and Art Nouveau architecture.
The most important attractions of Turin are: Mole Antonelliana, home of the National Museum of Cinema, the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista), which houses the famous Shroud of Turin, Palazzo Madama, which housed the first Senate of the Kingdom of Italy and is now home to the Museum of Ancient Art of Turin, Palazzo Carignano, which houses the Museum of the Risorgimento, the Royal Palace of Turin (Palazzo Reale), the first and most important residence of the House of Savoy, and the Egyptian Museum (Museo Egizio), which has the second most important Egyptian antiquities collection in the world after the Museum of Cairo.
The city has many wonderful squares, of which we can mention Piazza Castello, Piazza San Carlo, Piazza Palazzo di Città, known in the past as Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza Vittorio Veneto, Piazza Carlo Alberto, and Piazza Statuto.
Mole Antonelliana
Mole Antonelliana is a monumental building in Turin, located in Via Montebello, in the historical center of the city. Since 2000, the building houses the National Museum of Cinema (Museo Nazionale del Cinema). With a height of 167.5 meters, Mole Antonelliana is the symbol of Turin and one of the symbols of Italy. It was the tallest masonry building in the world between 1889 and 1908, and until recently it was the tallest building in Turin. TIP: If you want to admire the beautiful city of Turin from above, visit Mole Antonelliana and take the panoramic lift to the top of the tower. The view will leave you breathless! SHORT HISTORY OF MOLE ANTONELLIANA In 1848, after the freedom of worship was granted to non-Catholic religions, the Jewish community of Turin bought a piece of land in the area, to erect a new temple with an adjoining school. The original project of 1862 foresaw a building only 47 meters high. The architect Alessandro Antonelli proposed a series of modifications to the structure, which involved raising it to 113 meters. In 1869, the changes, the construction time and the higher costs made the Jewish community to finish the structure Read more [...]
Piazza Castello
Piazza Castello is the heart of the historical center of Turin, where the four main axes of the city converge – Via Garibaldi, Via Po, Via Roma and Via Pietro Micca. SHORT HISTORY OF PIAZZA CASTELLO The square was born in the 1st century AD near the eastern entrance of the ancient Roman castrum of Julia Augusta Taurinorum. With the consolidation of the Savoy state, and the movement of the capital from Chambéry to Turin in 1563, a vast project of modernization of the city began. In 1583, Ascanio Vittozzi was called to design the shape of what will be the current square. The design envisaged an area of about 40,000 square meters. The existing medieval castle in the center of the square was modernized in 1605 and connected to the Bishop’s Palace by a wall. The wall was demolished in the early 19th century, during the Napoleonic occupation. Ascanio Vitozzi died in 1615 and the direction of the works passed to Carlo di Castellamonte, who, in 1619, had the porticoes built on the southern side of the square, due to the opening of Via Nuova, the current Via Roma. Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) was built starting with 1643, Read more [...]
Royal Gardens of Turin
The Royal Gardens of Turin (Giardini Reali di Torino) is a park in Turin, located near the Royal Palace (Palazzo Reale), in the historical center of the city. SHORT HISTORY OF THE ROYAL GARDENS OF TURIN The history of the Royal Gardens of Turin began in 1563, the year in which Emmanuel Philibert transferred the capital of the Duchy of Savoy from Chambéry to Turin. During the time of Carlo Emanuele I and his son, Vittorio Amedeo I of Savoy, the gardens undergone considerable expansions. However, the current the arrangement of the gardens is largely the work of the architect André Le Nôtre, from the second half of the 17th century. During the Napoleonic period, the gardens have fallen into disrepair. The dark period of the park ended only in 1805, when the gardens became part of the Imperial Park. Following a persistent state of deterioration in the 20th century, the long restoration works of the gardens were completed in July 2021. DESCRIPTION OF THE ROYAL GARDENS OF TURIN The Royal Gardens of Turin are delimited by Corso San Maurizio to the north, Via Gioacchino Rossini to the east, and Piazza Castello to the south. The gardens are Read more [...]
Piazza Carlo Alberto
Piazza Carlo Alberto is a pedestrianized square in the historical center of Turin, located between Via Cesare Battisti and Via Principe Amedeo. SHORT HISTORY OF PIAZZA CARLO ALBERTO The square takes its name from the King of Sardinia Carlo Alberto I, son of Carlo Emanuele, Prince of Carignano. The princes of Carignano owned the palace of the same name, whose 19th-century facade overlooks the square. The area was reorganized between 1842 and 1859 by demolishing the surrounding walls and creating the square. In 2006, after long debates, Piazza Carlo Alberto became entirely pedestrian. INTERESTING FACT: In the northern part of the square, on the third floor of a building on the corner of Via Cesare Battisti with Via Carlo Alberto, Friedrich Nietzsche lived between 1888 and 1889. There, he wrote The Antichrist, The Twilight of the Idols and Ecce Homo. ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF PIAZZA CARLO ALBERTO On the western side of the square, there is Palazzo Carignano, commissioned in the second part of the 17th century by Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, Prince of Carignano, to the architect Guarino Guarini. In 1831, Carlo Alberto became the King of Sardinia, and the palace was ceded to the State Read more [...]
Galleria Sabauda
Galleria Sabauda is an art gallery in Turin, located in the historical center of the city, near the Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista. Galleria Sabauda is part of the complex of the Royal Museums of Turin (Musei Reali di Torino), and constitutes one of the most important pictorial collections in Italy. SHORT HISTORY OF GALLERIA SABAUDA Galleria Sabauda was born on October 2, 1832, at the behest of King Carlo Alberto I, to display hundreds of paintings collected over the centuries by the House of Savoy. At first, the art gallery was named Reale Galleria (Royal Gallery), and was placed in the halls of Palazzo Madama. The first director of the gallery was Roberto d’Azeglio, who in 1836 started the publication of the first catalog of the collection, which brought together 365 works from Palazzo Reale, Palazzo Carignano and from Palazzo Durazzo of Genoa. In 1848, the Senate was briefly transferred to Palazzo Madama. In 1865, Galleria Sabauda was moved to the second floor of Palazzo dell’Accademia delle Scienze, which already housed the Egyptian Museum (Museo Egizio). In the new building, the paintings were ordered chronological and by the pictorial school to which they belonged, with an important space Read more [...]
Palazzo Civico
Palazzo Civico (Civic Palace), known in the past as Palazzo di Città (City Palace), is a Baroque palace in Turin, the current seat of the city’s Town Hall. Palazzo Civico overlooks Piazza Palazzo di Città, the square which, until the 18th century, was known as Piazza delle Erbe, for the vegetable market held there. SHOT HISTORY OF PALAZZO CIVICO In 1659, the architect Francesco Lanfranchi was comissioned to design the new seat of the city’s Town Hall. The first stone was laid during the same year by the Archbishop of Turin, Giulio Cesare Bergera, in the presence of Duke Carlo Emanuele II and his mother, Christine of France. The building was completed in 1663. On the occasion of the inauguration of the palace, a great reception was held for the wedding of Duke Carlo Emanuele II with the Princess of France Françoise Madeleine d’Orléans. Two years later, following the death of Christine of France in 1663, and of Françoise Madeleine d’Orléans in 1664, the palace hosted the second wedding of Carlo Emanuele II, with Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours. In the following century, the building was extensively remodeled by Benedetto Alfieri, who added two wings, one facing Via Giuseppe Read more [...]
Piazza San Carlo
Piazza San Carlo, nicknamed by the locals the living room of the city, is one of the most important squares in Turin. The square is located in the historical center of the city, bordered by Via Santa Teresa and Via Maria Vittoria to the north, and by Via Vittorio Alfieri and Via Giovanni Giolitti to the south. Via Roma, which passes through the center of the square, connects Piazza San Carlo with Piazza Castello, to the north, and with Piazza Carlo Felice, to the south. SHORT HISTORY OF PIAZZA SAN CARLO When Turin became the capital of the Duchy of Savoy in 1563, it was decided to expand the city towards the south, creating the so-called Borgo Nuovo. The idea began to materialize in 1617, when the architect Carlo di Castellamonte was called to design both the Contrada Nuova, now Via Roma, and the current square. The works for the square began in 1618 and were completed in 1638. The square was inaugurated during the same year by Christine of France, widow of Vittorio Amedeo I, and named Piazza Reale (Royal Square). The perimeter arcades were built later, between 1643 and 1646. During this period, the square was used Read more [...]
Church of Gran Madre di Dio
The Church of Gran Madre di Dio, dedicated to Mary, Mother of Jesus (Great Mother of God), is a Neoclassical church in Turin, located in Piazza Gran Madre di Dio, on the eastern bank of the Po River. SHORT HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF GRAN MADRE DI DIO The church was built to celebrate the return of King Vittorio Emanuele I of Savoy on May 20, 1814, after the retreat of Napoleon’s army and the end of the French domination. The project was entrusted to Ferdinando Bonsignore, the official architect of the court of Savoy, who designed the structure in Neoclassical style, inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. The first stone was laid by Vittorio Emanuele on July 23, 1818. The construction of the church was then interrupted for about a decade, and resumed only in 1827, under the reign of Carlo Felice. The church was inaugurated in 1831 under the reign of his successor, Carlo Alberto. ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE CHURCH OF GRAN MADRE DI DIO The church rises above the surrounding square thanks to a high base consisting of a wide staircase. At the end of the staircase, there is a large pronaos, consisting of Read more [...]
Porta Palatina
Porta Palatina is a Roman city gate in Turin, which once allowed access from the north to the ancient city of Iulia Augusta Taurinorum. The gate is located in Piazza Cesare Augusto, not far from the Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista. SHORT HISTORY OF PORTA PALATINA The Palatine Gate was built in the 1st century BC during the Augustan or the Flavian Age, preceding the construction of the city walls. Porta Palatina maintained its function as a city gate for a long time, and in the 11th century it was transformed into a fort. In 1404, after centuries of decay, the left tower was rebuilt, and both towers were completed by battlements for defensive purposes. In the early decades of the 18th century, the urban renewal process initiated by Vittorio Amedeo II provided also for the demolition of the Palatine Gate. However, the dismantling was not carried out thanks to the intervention of the architect Antonio Bertola, who managed to convince the duke to preserve the ancient monument. Starting with 1724, the towers of the gate were used as a prison. In 1860, with the construction of the new prison of the city, Porta Palatina was restored. In the Read more [...]
Palazzo Carignano
Palazzo Carignano is a large palace in Turin, located between Piazza Carignano and Piazza Carlo Alberto, in the historical center of the city. Together with Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) and Palazzo Madama, Palazzo Carignano was placed in 1997 on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy. Today, the palace houses on the ground floor the offices of the regional directorate of the museums of Piedmont, and on the noble floor the National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento (Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano). SHORT HISTORY OF PALAZZO CARIGNANO Palazzo Carignano was commissioned by Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, Prince of Carignano, to the architect Guarino Guarini, one of the greatest exponents of Piedmontese Baroque. The work began in 1679, under the direction of Guarini’s collaborator, Gian Francesco Baroncelli, and was completed in 1685. In 1831, Carlo Alberto became the King of Sardinia, and the palace was ceded to the State Property, which housed here the Council of State and the Post Office. Starting with 1848, the palace was used as the seat of the Chamber of Deputies of the Subalpine Parliament. On this occasion, the architect Carlo Sada modified the splendid ballroom, located Read more [...]