The city was historically a major European political centre. From 1563, it was the capital of theDuchy of Savoy, then of theKingdom of Sardinia ruled by theHouse of Savoy, and the first capital of theKingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1865.[5][6] Turin is sometimes called "the cradle of Italian liberty" for having been the political and intellectual centre of theRisorgimento that led to theunification of Italy,[7] as well as the birthplace of notable individuals who contributed to it, such asCamillo Benso, Count of Cavour.[8]
Although much of its political influence had been lost byWorld War II, it had become a centre ofanti-fascist movements during theVentennio fascista, including theItalian resistance movement. Postwar Turin became a major European crossroads for industry, commerce and trade, and is part of the industrial triangle, along withMilan andGenoa. It is ranked third in Italy, after Milan andRome, for economic strength.[9]
The city has a rich culture and history, and it is known for its numerousart galleries, restaurants, churches, palaces,opera houses,piazzas, parks, gardens, theatres, libraries, museums and other venues. Turin is well known for itsBaroque,Rococo,Neoclassical, andArt Nouveau architecture.
In addition, the city is home to museums, such as theMuseo Egizio,[12] and theMole Antonelliana, the city's architectural symbol, which in turn hosts theNational Museum of Cinema. Turin's attractions make it one of the world's top 250 tourist destinations and the tenth-most visited city in Italy in 2008.
TheTaurini were an ancientCelto-Ligurian,[19]Alpine people, who occupied the upper valley of theRiver Po, in the centre of modernPiedmont. In 218 BC, they were attacked byHannibal as he was allied with their long-standing enemies, theInsubres. The Taurini chief town (Taurasia) was captured by Hannibal's forces after a three-day siege.[20] As a people they are rarely mentioned in history. It is believed that aRoman colony was established after 28 BC under the name ofJulia Augusta Taurinorum (modern Turin). BothLivy[21] andStrabo[22] mention the Taurini's country as including one of the passes of theAlps, which points to a wider use of the name in earlier times.
Roman era
In the 1st century BC, the Romans foundedAugusta Taurinorum. Via Garibaldi traces the exact path of the Roman city'sdecumanus which began at thePorta Decumani, later incorporated into theCastello orPalazzo Madama. ThePorta Palatina, on the north side of the current city centre, is still preserved in a park near the cathedral. Remains of the Roman-periodtheatre are preserved in the area of theManica Nuova. Turin reached about 5,000 inhabitants at the time, all living inside the high city walls.
Middle Ages
After the fall of theWestern Roman Empire, the town, along with the rest of the Italian peninsula, was conquered by theHeruli and theOstrogoths, recaptured by theRomans, but then conquered again by theLombards whose territory then fell into the hands of theFranks underCharlemagne (773). TheContea di Torino (countship) was founded in the 940s and was held by theArduinic dynasty until 1050. After the marriage ofAdelaide of Susa withHumbert Biancamano's sonOtto, the family of theCounts of Savoy gained control. While the title of count was held by the Bishop as count ofTurin (1092–1130 and 1136–1191) it was ruled as aprince-bishopric by the Bishops. In 1230–1235, it was a lordship under theMarquess of Montferrat, styled Lord of Turin. At the end of the 13th century, when it was annexed to the Duchy of Savoy, the city already had 20,000 inhabitants. Many of the gardens and palaces were built in the 15th century when the city was redesigned. TheUniversity of Turin was also founded during this period.
Early modern
Turin in 1701
Emmanuel Philibert, also known under the nickname ofIron Head (Testa 'd Fer), made Turin the capital of the Duchy of Savoy in 1563.[23] Piazza Reale (namedPiazza San Carlo today) and Via Nuova (current Via Roma) were added along with the first enlargement of the walls, in the first half of the 17th century; in the same period thePalazzo Reale (Royal Palace of Turin) was also built. In the second half of that century, a second enlargement of the walls was planned and executed, with the building of the arcaded Via Po, connecting Piazza Castello with the bridge on the Po through the regular street grid.
In 1706, during theBattle of Turin, the French besieged the city for 117 days without conquering it. By theTreaty of Utrecht the Duke of Savoy acquiredSicily, soon traded forSardinia, and part of the formerDuchy of Milan, and obtained the title ofKing of Sardinia; thus Turin became the capital of a European kingdom. The architectFilippo Juvarra began a major redesign of the city; Turin had about 90,000 inhabitants at the time.
Late modern and contemporary
A view of Turin in the late 19th century. In the background, theMole Antonelliana is under construction.FiatLingotto factory in 1928Liberation of Italy parade in Turin on 6 May 1945.
Turin, like the rest ofPiedmont, was annexed by theFrench Empire in 1802. The city thus became the seat of theprefecture ofPôdepartment until the fall ofNapoleon in 1814, when the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia was restored with Turin as its capital. In the following decades, the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia led the struggle towards theunification of Italy. In 1861, Turin became the capital of the newly proclaimed unitedKingdom of Italy, having been the political and intellectual centre of theRisorgimento movement.[7][24] In 1865, the capital was moved toFlorence, and then toRome after the 1870 conquest of thePapal States.
The 1871 opening of theFréjus Tunnel made Turin an important communication node between Italy and France. The city in that period had 250,000 inhabitants. Some of the most iconic landmarks of the city, such as theMole Antonelliana, theEgyptian Museum, theGran Madre di Dio church andPiazza Vittorio Veneto, were built in this period.
The late 19th century was also a period of rapid industrialisation, especially in the automotive sector: in 1899Fiat was established in the city, followed byLancia in 1906. TheUniversal Exposition held in Turin in 1902 is often regarded as the pinnacle ofArt Nouveau design, and the city hosted the same event in1911. By this time, Turin had grown to 430,000 inhabitants.
AfterWorld War I, harsh conditions brought a wave of strikes and workers' protests. In 1920 theLingotto Fiat factory was occupied. TheFascist regime in Italy put an end to the social unrest, banning trade unions and jailing socialist leaders, notablyAntonio Gramsci. On the other hand,Benito Mussolini largely subsidised the automotive industry, in order to provide vehicles to the army.
Turinwas a target of Allied strategic bombing during World War II, being heavily damaged by the air raids in its industrial areas as well as in the city centre. Along withMilan,Genoa, andLa Spezia, Turin was one of Italy's four cities that sufferedarea bombing by the RAF; the heaviest raid took place on 13 July 1943, when 295 bombers dropped 763 tons of bombs, killing 792 people.[25] Overall, these raids killed 2,069 inhabitants of Turin, and destroyed or damaged 54% of all buildings in the city.[26][27]
The Allies'campaign in Italy started from thesouth and slowly moved northwards in the following two years. The northern regions were occupied by Germans and collaborationist forces for several years. Turin was not captured by the Allies until the end of theSpring Offensive of 1945. By the time the vanguard of the armoured reconnaissance units of theBrazilian Expeditionary Force reached the city, it was already freed by theItalian Partisans. They had begun revolting against the Germans and the Italian RSI troops on 25 April 1945. Days later, troops from the US Army's1st Armored and92nd Infantry Divisions came to substitute for the Brazilians.[28][29]
In the postwar years, Turin was rapidly rebuilt. The city's automotive industry played a pivotal role in theItalian economic miracle of the 1950s and 1960s, attracting hundreds of thousands of migrants to the city, particularly from the rural southern regions of Italy. The number of migrants was so high that Turin was said to be "the third southern Italian city afterNaples andPalermo". The population soon reached 1 million in 1960 and peaked at almost 1.2 million in 1971. The exceptional growth gains of the city gained it the nickname ofCapitale dell'automobile (Automobile Capital), being often compared withDetroit, the major centre of theU.S. automobile industry (these cities were 'twinned' as sister cities in 1998).
In the 1970s and 1980s, the oil and automotive industry crisis severely hit the city, and its population began to sharply decline as jobs were lost. In 30 years, the population decreased by more than one-fourth of the 1971 total. The long population decline of the city has begun to reverse itself only in recent years; the population grew from 865,000 to slightly over 900,000 by the end of the 20th century. In 2006, Turin hosted theWinter Olympic Games.
Geography
Turin from space. North is on the left.
Turin is innorthwest Italy. It is surrounded on the western and northern front by the Alps and on the eastern front by a high hill that is the natural continuation of the hills ofMonferrato. Four major rivers pass through the city: the Po and three of its tributaries, theRiver Dora Riparia (once known asDuria Minor by the Romans, from theCeltic nounduria, 'water'), theStura di Lanzo and theSangone.
Climate
Located in northwestern Italy at the foot of theAlps, Turin features a mid-latitude, four seasonshumid subtropical climate (Köppen:Cfa), similar to that ofGrenoble, located not far away in the French Alps.
Winters are moderately cold and dry; summers are mild in the hills and quite hot in the plains. Rain falls mostly during spring and autumn; during the hottest months, otherwise, rains are less frequent but heavier (thunderstorms are frequent). During the winter and autumn months banks of fog, which are sometimes very thick, form in the plains[30] but rarely on the city because of its location at the end of theSusa Valley. Snowfalls are not uncommon during the winter months, though substantial accumulation is quite uncommon.
Its position on the east side of the Alps makes the weather drier than on the west side because of theföhn wind effect.
The highest temperature ever recorded was 37.1 °C (98.8 °F) on11 August 2003, and the lowest was −21.8 °C (−7.2 °F) on 12 February 1956.
Climate data for Torino Caselle Airport, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1946–present)
Turin is split up into 8boroughs, locally calledcircoscrizioni;[35] these do not necessarily correspond to the historical districts of the city, which are rather calledquartieri,rioni,borghi,borgate orzone. Thecircoscrizioni system originally comprised 10 of them, that were reduced to 8 by merging borough 9 into 8, and 10 into 2.
The following list enumerates the boroughs and the location of the historical districts inside them:[35]
Circoscrizione 1: Centro – Crocetta
Circoscrizione 2: Santa Rita – Mirafiori Nord – Mirafiori Sud
Circoscrizione 3: San Paolo – Cenisia – Pozzo Strada – Cit Turin – Borgata Lesna
Circoscrizione 4: San Donato – Campidoglio – Parella
Circoscrizione 5: Borgo Vittoria – Madonna di Campagna – Lucento – Vallette
Circoscrizione 6: Barriera di Milano – Regio Parco – Barca – Bertolla – Falchera – Rebaudengo – Villaretto
Circoscrizione 7:Aurora – Vanchiglia – Sassi – Madonna del Pilone
Circoscrizione 8: San Salvario – Cavoretto – Borgo Po – Nizza Millefonti –Lingotto – Filadelfia
The mayor of Turin is directly elected every five years. The current mayor of the city isStefano Lo Russo (PD), elected in 2021.
Turin's historical architecture is predominantlyBaroque and was developed under theSavoyard state. Nonetheless, the main street of the city centre,Via Roma, was built during the Fascist era (from 1931 to 1937) as an example ofItalian Rationalism, replacing former buildings already present in this area.
Via Roma runs betweenPiazza Carlo Felice andPiazza Castello. Buildings on the portion between Piazza Carlo Felice andPiazza San Carlo were designed by rationalist architectMarcello Piacentini. These blocks were built into a reticular system, composed by austere buildings in clear rationalist style, such as the impressiveHotel Principi di Piemonte and the formerHotel Nazionale inPiazza CLN. Porches are built in a continuousentablature and marked with double columns, to be consistent with those of Piazza San Carlo. The section of the street between Piazza San Carlo and Piazza Castello was built in an eclectic style, with arcades characterised bySerliana-type arches. To this day Via Roma is the street featuring the most fashionable boutiques of the city.
Piazza San Carlo and theCaval 'd Brons (Bronze Horse in Piedmontese language), equestrian monument toEmmanuel Philibert
Via Roma crosses one of the main squares of the city: the pedestrianised Piazza San Carlo, built byCarlo di Castellamonte in the 17th century. In the middle of the square stands the equestrian monument toEmmanuel Philibert, also known asCaval ëd Brons in the local dialect ('Bronze Horse'); the monument depicts the Duke sheathing his sword after theBattle of St. Quentin. Piazza San Carlo arcades host the most ancient cafés of the city, such asCaffé Torino andCaffé San Carlo.
Piazza Castello withPalazzo Reale (Royal Palace) in the background
At the northern end of Via Roma standsPiazza Castello, regarded as the heart of the city. The half-pedestrianised square hosts some significant buildings such asPalazzo Reale (Former Savoy Royal House), thePalazzo Madama (which previously hosted the Savoy senate and, for few years, the Italian senate after Italian unification), the former BaroqueTeatro Regio di Torino (rebuilt in modern style in the 1960s, after being destroyed by fire), theRoyal Library of Turin which hosts theLeonardo da Vinci self-portrait, and the baroqueRoyal Church of San Lorenzo. Moreover, Piazza Castello hosts a Fascist era building, theTorre Littoria, a sort of skyscraper which was supposed to become the headquarters of the Fascist party, although it never served as such. The building's style is quite different from the Baroque style of Piazza Castello. The square regularly hosts the main open space events of the city, live concerts included.
Porta Nuova main railway station
As for the southern part of the street, Via Roma ends inPiazza Carlo Felice and in itsGiardino Sambuy, a wide fenced garden right in the middle of the square. Across from Piazza Carlo Felice stands the monumental façade ofPorta Nuova railway station, the central station of the city built between 1861 and 1868 by the architect Alessandro Mazzucchetti. The passengers building was renovated to host a shopping mall and more efficient passenger service offices. However, it is still an example of monumental architecture, with its stately foyer and some Baroque sights, such as theSala Reale (the former Royal waiting room).
Piazza Vittorio Veneto square
InPiazza Castello converge some of the main streets of the city centre. Among them, one of the most significant is the arcadedVia Po, built byAmedeo di Castellamonte in 1674 and featuring some interesting buildings, such as the first and original building of theUniversity of Turin and the historicalCaffè Fiorio, which was the favourite café of the 19th-century politicians. Via Po ends inPiazza Vittorio Veneto (simply called Piazza Vittorio locally), the largest Baroque square in Europe and today heart of Turin nightlife. Piazza Vittorio features the most fashionable bars and not far from here, along thePo riverfront, theMurazzi quays used to host several bars and nightclubs open until the morning until a few years ago.
Parallel to Via Roma, the other two popular pedestrian streets, namelyVia Lagrange andVia Carlo Alberto, cross the old town from Via Po toCorso Vittorio Emanuele II. Their recent pedestrianisation has improved their original commercial vocation. In particular, Via Lagrange has recently increased the presence of luxury boutiques. This street also hosts theEgyptian Museum of Turin, home to what is regarded as one of the largest collections of Egyptian antiquities outside of Egypt.
Via Lagrange and Via Carlo Alberto cross two significant squares of the city, respectively. The former crossesPiazza Carignano, well known mainly for the undulating "concave – convex-concave" Baroque façade ofPalazzo Carignano. This building used to host theParlamento Subalpino (the 'Subalpine Parliament',Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia which also became the Italian Parliament for a few years, after the Italian unification) and today houses theMuseum of the Risorgimento. The square also features theTeatro Carignano, a well-conserved Baroque theatre. Via Carlo Alberto crossesPiazza Carlo Alberto, a big square hosting the rear façade of Palazzo Carignano, in eclectic style. On the other side stands the monumentalBiblioteca Nazionale (National Library).
Not far from Via Po stands the symbol of Turin, namely theMole Antonelliana, so named after the architect who built it,Alessandro Antonelli. Construction began in 1863 as a Jewishsynagogue. Nowadays it houses theNational Museum of Cinema and it is believed to be the tallest museum in the world at 167 m (548 ft). The building is depicted on the Italian 2-cent coin.
Just behindPiazza Castello stands theTurin Cathedral, dedicated to SaintJohn the Baptist, which is the major church of the city. It was built during 1491–1498 and is adjacent to an earlierbell tower (1470). Annexed to the cathedral is theChapel of the Holy Shroud, the current resting place of theShroud of Turin. The chapel was added to the structure in 1668–1694, designed byGuarini. TheBasilica of Corpus Domini was built to celebrate an alleged miracle which took place during the sack of the city in 1453, when a soldier was carrying off amonstrance containing theBlessed Sacrament; the monstrance fell to the ground, while thehost remained suspended in air. The present church, erected in 1610 to replace the original chapel which stood on the spot, is the work ofAscanio Vitozzi.
Next to the Turin Cathedral stand thePalatine Towers, an ancientRoman-medieval structure that served as one of four Romancity gates along thecity walls of Turin. This gate allowed access from north to thecardo maximus, the typical second main street of a Roman town. The Palatine Towers are among the best preserved Roman remains in northern Italy. Close to this site, the 51,300 m2 (552,189 sq ft)Piazza della Repubblica plays host to the biggest open market in Europe, locally known asmercato di Porta Palazzo (Porta Palazzo orPorta Pila are the historical and local names of this area).
West of the Porte Palatine stands theQuadrilatero Romano (Roman Quadrilateral), the old medieval district recently renewed. The current neighbourhood is characterised by its tiny streets and its several medieval buildings and today it is popular for itsaperitivo bars and its small shops run by local artisans. The hub of the Quadrilatero isPiazza Emanuele Filiberto.
South of the Quadrilatero Romano standsVia Garibaldi, another popular street of the city. It is a 1 km (0.6 mi) pedestrian street between Piazza Castello andPiazza Statuto which features some of the old shops of the city. LargePiazza Statuto is another example of Baroque square with arcades.
Another main street of downtown isVia Pietro Micca, which starts in Piazza Castello and ends in the largePiazza Solferino. The street continues inVia Cernaia up toPiazza XVIII Dicembre, which features the formerPorta Susa passengers building, relocated in 2012 a little more southward. The new and larger passengers building is situated betweenCorso Bolzano andCorso Inghilterra and is an example of contemporary architecture, being a 300 m-long (980 ft) and 19 m-high (62 ft) glass and steel structure. Porta Susa is currently the international central station of the city (high speed trains to Paris) and it is becoming the central hub of railway transportation of the city, being the station in which local trains (so-calledFerrovie Metropolitane), national trains and high-speed national and international trains converge.
Close to Via Cernaia stands theCittadella (Citadel), in theAndrea Guglielminetti garden. What remains of the old medieval and modern fortress of the city, it is a starting point for a tour into the old tunnels below the city.
Southeast of the city centre standsSan Salvario district, which extends fromCorso Vittorio Emanuele II toCorso Bramante and is delimited by theTurin-Genoa railway on the west side and by theRiver Po on the east side. Home to an increasing immigrants' community, the district is an example of integration among different cultures; it also features an incremented nightlife after the opening of several low-cost bars and restaurants.
San Salvario is crossed by two main roads,Via Nizza andVia Madama Cristina, and just as the city centre it is characterised by thegrid plan typical of Turin's old neighbourhoods. The hub of the district isPiazza Madama Cristina which hosts a big open market, while several commercial activities flourish around it.
The celebratedParco del Valentino is situated in the east side of San Salvario and, albeit not in downtown, it represents a type of central park of Turin. Thanks to the vicinity to the city centre, the park is very popular among the local people, during the day but also at night, because of the several bars and nightclubs placed here. From the terraces of Parco del Valentino, many sights of the hills on the other side of the river can be appreciated.
In the centre of the park stands theCastello del Valentino, built in the 17th century. This castle has a horseshoe shape, with four rectangular towers, one at each angle, and a wide inner court with a marble pavement. The ceilings of the false upper floors are intransalpino (i.e. French) style. The façade sports the huge coat of arms of theHouse of Savoy. Today, Castello del Valentino serves as the faculty of Architecture of thePolytechnic University of Turin.
Other buildings inCorso Massimo d'Azeglio include theTorino Esposizioni complex (Turin's exhibition hall built in the 1930s) featuring a monumental entrance with a large full height porch, a main hall designed byPier Luigi Nervi in reinforced concrete, and theTeatro Nuovo, a theatre mostly focused on ballet exhibitions. Another building is the largest synagogue of the city, inPiazzetta Primo Levi, a square. Its architecture stands in the main sight of the city, as characterised by four large towers—27 m (89 ft) high—topped by four onion-shaped domes.
South ofCentro stands theCrocetta district, considered one of the most exclusive districts of the city, because of highly rated residential buildings. At the heart of the district is the partially pedestrianised area crossed byCorso Trieste,Corso Trento andCorso Duca D'Aosta, plenty of some notable residential buildings ineclectic,neo-Gothic andArt Nouveau style. The area was built between 1903 and 1937 replacing the oldparade ground, which was moved in the southern part of the city.
North of this area stands theGAM (Galleria d'Arte Moderna), one of the two Museum of Modern Arts of the Turin Metro area (the second and largest one is hosted inCastello di Rivoli, a former Savoy royal castle in the suburbs). The museum stands in front a huge monument situated in the centre of the roundabout betweenCorso Vittorio Emanuele II andCorso Galileo Ferraris: theMonument to Vittorio Emanuele II, a king of Savoy statue situated on a 39-metres high column. Next to the museum, another significant residential building previously hosted the head office ofJuventus, one of the two main Turinfootball clubs.
West of this area, the main building ofPolytechnic University of Turin stands alongCorso Duca Degli Abruzzi. The 1958 building, a 122,000 m2 (1,313,197 sq ft) complex, hosts approximately 30,000 students and is considered one of the major institutes of technology of the country—mainly due to the vocation of the city for the industrialisation, pushed by the automotive sector. This institute recently expanded in the western district ofCenisia with additional modern buildings.
TheSpina Centrale is a new under-construction boulevard built over the undergrounded railway. It is already completed inCrocetta.
Crocetta is crossed by large and modern avenues, such asCorso Duca degli Abruzzi,Corso Galileo Ferraris, andCorso Einaudi. These avenues feature long rows of trees, symbolic of Turin's typical urbanity. However, the most popular avenue isCorso De Gasperi, which, albeit smaller than other avenues of the district, hosts one of the most fashionable open markets of the city, the so-calledMercato della Crocetta, in which it is possible to find some discounted branded clothing among the more popular ones.
The Western border of Crocetta is instead an example of contemporary architecture. The huge avenue, made up ofCorso Mediterraneo andCorso Castelfidardo, is part ofSpina Centrale boulevard and was recently built over the old railway (now undergrounded): as a result, the avenue is very large (up to 60 m (200 ft)) and modern, having been rebuilt with valuable materials, including a characteristic lighting system supported by white high poles. This avenue hosts some examples of contemporary art, such asMario Merz'sIgloo fountain or thePer Kirkeby'sOpera per Torino monument inLargo Orbassano.
The East side of the district is also known asBorgo San Secondo named after the church of the same name standing inVia San Secondo, a major street in the neighbourhood. This is nearPorta Nuova railway station and is older than the rest of the district, featuring several apartment buildings from the late 19th century, to include the birthplace and home of authorPrimo Levi on Corso Re Umberto.[36] A local open market is held inPiazza San Secondo and alongVia Legnano. The market square also hosts the former washhouse and public baths of the neighbourhood, among the oldest examples of their kind in Turin (1905).
One of the main thoroughfares crossing Borgo San Secondo isVia Sacchi, which serves as an ideal gate to the city centre: its Serlian arcades on the west side of the street (the east side is enclosed byPorta Nuova railway station service buildings) host some significant boutiques and hotels, such as the historicPfatisch pastry shop and theTurin Palace Hotel (totally refurbished and reopened in 2015). South ofVia Sacchi,Ospedale Mauriziano is one of the ancient and major hospitals of the city. Going further southwards, it is possible to appreciate an interesting residential cluster of old public housing gravitating aroundVia Arquata.
Bordered byCorso Castelfidardo,Corso Vittorio Emanuele II,Corso Trapani andCorso Peschiera, this small district is mainly significant for hosting the recent expansion of Turineseinstitute of technologyPolitecnico. The expansion was possible after under-grounding the railway underCorso Castelfidardo and the subsequent disposal of the old buildings dedicated to the train maintenance present in this area (so-calledOfficine Grandi Riparazioni orOGR).Politecnico expanded its facilities through two huge overpass buildings over the avenue, linked to new buildings on the west side. This cluster of buildings forms an evocative square with a unique architectural style. The main building on the west side hosts aGeneral Motors research centre, theGeneral Motors Global Propulsion Systems (formerly known asGeneral Motors Powertrain Europe).Politecnico area extends untilVia Boggio with further facilities hosted in the formerOGR facilities. The institute plans to further build new facilities in the current parking area.
North ofPolitecnico facilities, the main building of theOGR former cluster, which consists in three 180-metres long joint parallel buildings, became recently a big open space which hosts temporary exhibitions and during the hot seasons, its external spaces became a fashionable site to have a typical Italianaperitivo.
North ofOGR, a former prison complex calledLe Nuove is a significant example of old European prison building. The complex was built between 1857 and 1869 during the reign of Victor Emmanuel II. After being disposed of during the 1990s, the complex was changed into a museum and it is possible to visit its facilities.
An example of contemporary art is the heating plant inCorso Ferrucci, which has been covered with aluminium panels. Another building (19th century), now abandoned, is the formerWestinghouse factory of train brakes situated inVia Borsellino.
The residential and business zone of the district sprawls westward, beyond the former—now demolished—customs wall (cinta daziaria), which previously separated the city from the mainly rural landscape that marked the outskirts of Turin until the late 19th century. Urban planning outside the localcity gate (so-calledbarriera di San Paolo) led to the construction of an industrial and working-class neighbourhood in the early 20th century, although factories have long been discontinued, torn down or converted to other uses nowadays. Together withSan Paolo district,Cenisia hosts an extensivestreet market alongCorso Racconigi, which is locally known as the longest street market in Europe.
Cit Turin
Casa della Vittoria (1918–1920) is an example of Turin's neo-gothic architecture.
The smallest district of the city isCit Turin ('Little Turin' inPiedmontese language). This small triangle surrounded byCorso Vittorio Emanuele II,Corso Francia andCorso Inghilterra hosts some high rated residential buildings and is regarded as a prestigious residential neighbourhood by local people.
The district is well known for its commercial vocation mainly in its two main streets,Via Duchessa Jolanda andVia Principi d'Acaja, ideally crossing each other among the gardensGiardino Luigi Martini, locally calledPiazza Benefica, which hosts a popular open market.
The district is also characterised by two massive recent buildings: thePalazzo di Giustizia, Turin's new courthouse built in the 1990s (in a 350-metre-long facility), and the first real skyscraper of Turin, theTorre Intesa Sanpaolo,[37] which house the headquarters of one of the major Italian private banks.
San Donato
Chiesa di Nostra Signora del Suffragio e Santa ZitaTheTorre Littoria
San Donato district is betweenCorso Francia,Corso Lecce,Corso Potenza,Via Nole, theParco Dora andCorso Principe Oddone. It was populated since the medieval era, but becomes bigger during the 19th century, prospering around the canalCanale di San Donato, which does not exist anymore, currently replaced by the central street of the district,Via San Donato. Buildings in the district are relatively recent (around 1820), except for the oldest group of small houses in theBrusachœr neighbourhood (Palazzo Forneris building) alongVia Pacinotti near the smallPiazza Paravia. The conservation of the street and of this old building influences the straightness ofVia San Donato, which makes a slight curve to result in parallel withVia Pacinotti before ending in centralPiazza Statuto square.
Main church of the district is theChiesa di Nostra Signora del Suffragio e Santa Zita, which with its 83 m (272 ft) height of its bell tower, is well known to be the fifth tallest structure in the city of Turin, after theMole Antonelliana, theIntesa-Sanpaolo skyscraper, theTorre Littoria and the two pennons of theJuventus Stadium. The church is hosting theIstituto Suore Minime di Nostra Signora del Suffragio and it was promoted and designed byFrancesco Faà di Bruno. The legend says, that he wanted to build the tallest bell tower of the town and put a clock on the top, to all the poor people to know the time for free. The small building near the church is what remains ofCasa Tartaglino, a small residential building which was also extended and modified by Faa di Bruno.
Villino Cibrario inVia Saccarelli is another significant building designed by Barnaba Panizza in 1842. The building was equipped with a large garden which was eliminated to host the street. The neighbourhood has a high concentration of historic buildings in Art Nouveau style designed by architect Pietro Fenoglio (among the others, the prestigiousVillino Raby in Corso Francia 8). Other significant buildings are theVilla Boringhieri in Via San Donato, and other Art Nouveau and Neo-Gothic buildings are situated inVia Piffetti andVia Durandi.
Among the modern buildings of the district, the most significant one is, of course, theTorre BBPR Tower (which took the name from the architecture office who designed it). The building is representing thepost-rationalism Italian architecture (same style of the better knownTorre Velasca tower in the city of Milan). The tower is facing the centralPiazza Statuto square. The district is crossed by some significant avenues: onCorso Svizzera, which crosses the district from north to south, faces the Business CentrePiero Della Francesca, where the offices ofTuttosport, one of the three national sports daily newspapers has its head offices. Also onCorso Svizzera, stands one of the oldest hospitals of the city, theOspedale Amedeo di Savoia, specialised in infectious diseases. Other major avenues areCorso Umbria andCorso Tassoni.
Another big avenue, which borders the district on its East, isCorso Principe Oddone, which in the past was along the railway to Milan. Currently the railway has been under-grounded: the avenue will be enlarged and have same architecture style of southernCorso Inghilterra in downtown, becoming one of the major avenues of Turin. The northern part of the district was part of the former industrial district of Turin, recently reconverted to a park calledParco Dora. Mainly, inSan Donato the portion reconverted was the one occupied by the plant ofMichelin (west ofVia Livorno) andFiat ironwork plants (on the East). Differently for other portions ofParco Dora, this part has been totally reconverted to park without letting any evidence of the industrial area except for the cooling tower which stands alongCorso Umbria and became a symbol of the park. Works are completed in the western area, whereCorso Mortara has been closed to traffic and moved just a bit northern and covered by an artificial tunnel. It is possible to access the southern shore of the River Dora. South of the park, an interesting architecture of different levels is hosting a new shopping mall calledCentro Commerciale Parco Dora. East ofVia Livorno, works are still partially in progress, with the River Dora still to be uncovered by a big slab, on which theFiat plants used to stand). West ofVia Livorno, theEnvironment Park is a research centre for renewable energy.
Aurora
Tiny streets ofBorgo Dora
Aurora is one of the most ancient districts which developed out of the medievalcity walls, north of the historical city centre. It stretches from downtown northern boundaries inCorso Regina Margherita (an extended and important thoroughfare of Turin) up toCorso Vigevano andCorso Novara in the North Side (namely the oldexcise boundary until the early 20th century); the western boundary isCorso Principe Oddone (now part of theSpina Centrale boulevard) and the eastern border is the River Dora.
The district was named Aurora after the so-calledCascina Aurora, an old farmstead lying north of the River Dora, right at the intersection betweenCorso Giulio Cesare andCorso Emilia. The farmstead has long been demolished and the area has been converted to office buildings, hosting the Turinese textile companyGruppo Finanziario Tessile (GFT) headquarters until the early 21st century.
The historical hub of the district isBorgo Dora (The 'Dora Borough'), a small neighbourhood next toPorta Palazzo and enclosed byCorso Regina Margherita,Via Cigna, the River Dora andCorso Giulio Cesare. Once known asBorgo del Pallone ('Ball Borough') orBalon inPiedmontese dialect (locally[baˈlun]), this neighbourhood is famous for itsmercatino del Balon or simplyBalon, the Turineseflea market that opens every Saturday in its tiny and twisted streets. Borgo Dora hosts several remarkable places, such as:Piccola Casa della Divina Provvidenza ('Little House of the Divine Providence'), also known asCottolengo, a well-known charitable organisation which has been operating for almost 200 years in the city;Arsenale della Pace ('Arsenal of Peace'), a former weapons factory that currently hosts the headquarters ofSERMIG (Servizio Missionario Giovani), a nonprofit association which assists poor and homeless people;Caserma Cavalli ('Cavalli Barracks'), one of the most representative buildings of the district, a former barracks topped by a clock tower which now hostsScuola Holden, a storytelling and performing arts school; the evocativeCortile del Maglio ('Mallet Courtyard'), a covered pedestrian area featuring bars and clubs. Across from Cortile del Maglio and Arsenale della Pace stands a wide pedestrian area which features ahot air balloon, a clear allusion to the neighbourhood's old nameBalon: recently installed, the balloon is open to public which can now take an interesting view of the city from this new high observation point.
Right at the borders of Borgo Dora stands part ofPorta Palazzo open market which hosts theNew Exhibition Hall, designed by the Italian architectMassimiliano Fuksas. The building has replaced theClothes Market, one of the four covered pavilions of Porta Palazzo market, but unfortunately, this glass green-shaded building has been highly criticised because of its lack of usability for commercial activities, albeit an example of contemporary architecture.
Another interesting building at the borders of the neighbourhood isPorta Milano (a.k.a.stazione della Ciriè-Lanzo), a former 19th-century railway station that marked the terminus of Ciriè-Lanzo railway line until the 1980s. To this day, the station is no longer in use as well as the rails up toPiazza Baldissera. The station building was recently renovated and now hosts some old locomotives, although it is not open to the public. Unfortunately, the old rails crossing the district are totally disused and neglected, adding decay to the whole area.
Borgo Dora, as many other pockets of Aurora, is characterised by the marked multi-ethnicity of its population, being home to a large community of immigrants from emerging countries.
Santuario di Maria Ausiliatrice
West of Borgo Dora standsRione Valdocco ('Valdocco neighbourhood'), enclosed byVia Cigna,Corso Regina Margherita,Corso Principe Oddone and the River Dora. This neighbourhood hosts the significant architecture ofSantuario di Maria Ausiliatrice ('Maria Ausiliatrice Sanctuary') in the homonymous square and behind the church standsSan Pietro in Vincoli old cemetery.
Overall, the main thoroughfares of the West side of Aurora areVia Cigna, which crosses the district from north to south,Corso Vercelli, a historical avenue starting north of the River Dora, andCorso Principe Oddone, part of the longSpina Centrale boulevard that will be built over the undergroundTurin-Milan railway. However, theSpina Centrale project is proceeding slowly because of the lack of funds and the boulevard is still occupied by a large worksite along its span. Once completed, Aurora district will be connected to EasternSan Donato, thanks to a better connection among the roads of the two adjacent districts (i.e.Corso Ciriè will continue inCorso Gamba andStrada del Fortino inCorso Rosai).
As for the rest of Aurora, the district is crossed by an important thoroughfare namedCorso Giulio Cesare, a long boulevard that extends from Porta Palazzo up toTurin-Trieste motorway entrance in the northern urban fringe of Turin. Other significant roads areCorso Palermo,Via Bologna andCorso Regio Parco, mostly in the East side of Aurora which is known asBorgo Rossini ('Rossini Borough'). Albeit not a road, the River Dora is also a significant element for the whole district, since it completely crosses it from West to East.
The area north of the river features a mix of old residential buildings and remains of former factories and facilities from the 20th century. An example are the remains of FiatOfficine Grandi Motori (OGM) in Corso Vigevano, an old factory that produced big industrial and automotive Diesel engines, a sort of symbol of the industrial history of Turin. Another disused facility isAstanteria Martini ('Martini Emergency Department') in Via Cigna, a former emergency department from the 1920s which has been lying vacant since long.
As for the old residential buildings of the area, this part of Aurora hosts the oldestpublic housing block of the city, built byIstituto Autonomo Case Popolari (IACP) in 1908 in lieu of an old dilapidated small farm once known asChiabotto delle Merle.
Despite its run-down look, the famousLavazza coffee company, along withIAAD School of Design, chose this part of the city as the location for their new headquarters, which will be built in a contemporary building dubbedNuvola ('Cloud') right at the borders ofBorgo Rossini. Designed by the architect Gino Zucchi, this project is still a work in progress but excavations in the area revealed the remains of a medieval cemetery and an early Christian basilica; these findings will be preserved and will be shown to the public.
Borgo Rossini hosts a number of businesses, for instance, theRobe di Kappa flagship store (Kappa is a noted Italian sportswear brand founded in Turin) and theCineporto ('Cineport') a.k.a.La Casa dei Produttori ('The Filmmakers' House', which hosts theTurin Piedmont Film Commission Foundation).
Vanchiglia is bordered byCorso San Maurizio,Corso Regio Parco and theRiver Po, crossed also by theRiver Dora Riparia and by two big avenues,Corso Regina Margherita andCorso Tortona.
Borgo Vanchiglia is the historical district: a little triangle next to downtown, situated betweenCorso San Maurizio, Corso Regina Margherita and the River Po. The district is quite popular nowadays because being quite closer to the heart of Turin nightlifePiazza Vittorio Veneto, many bars and restaurants opened recently in this area. However, Vanchiglia also includes the area calledVanchiglietta, north ofBorgo Vanchiglia.
Notable church inBorgo Vanchiglia is the French neo-GothicChiesa di Santa Giulia situated intoPiazza Santa Giulia.
A notable and unusual building in the area is the so-called "Fetta di Polenta" (lit.'polenta slice'), formerly known asCasa Scaccabarozzi. This building is whereCorso San Maurizio meetsVia Giulia di Barolo, and it is one of the most peculiar examples of Turin architecture: a thin trapezoid 27 m (89 ft) wide onVia Giulia Di Barolo, 5 m (16 ft) onCorso San Maurizio and just 0.70 m (2 ft 4 in) wide on the opposite end. It was designed in 1840 byAlessandro Antonelli for his wife, Francesca Scaccabarozzi. The curious name comes from the shape of the palace, which resembles a "slice of polenta", and also because it is painted with an ochre colour.
Other notable buildings are the town public baths, eclectic building built in 1905 (Corso Regina Margherita crossingVia Vanchiglia), and theTeatro della Caduta theatre, opened in 2003 inVia Michele Buniva 23, which with its 45 seats is the smallest theatre in Turin and among the smallest theatres in Europe.
In Corso Regina Margherita, another notable building is the formerOpera pia Reynero, a charitable organisation. The building was built in 1892. Being abandoned for a long time after it closed in 1996, it was then occupied by the Askatasuna Social Center, a non-profit anarchic organisation, hosting since then various activities such as concerts, dinners, seminars and homeless solidarity initiatives.
Campus Luigi Einaudi
North ofCorso Regina Margherita, district is losing the flavour and architecture typical of Turin downtown, cause a significant portion of the district was formerly occupied by factories, nowadays partially abandoned or replaced by modern buildings. A significant example was the area occupied by gas companies between Corso Regina Margherita and the River Dora, which were partially demolished to make place to the new modern Faculty of Law building (Campus "Luigi Einaudi"), designed by the architectNorman Foster. This building was classified by the American television company CNN among the 10 most spectacular university buildings in the world.[38] In the campus courtyard, a large wood statue representing a bull (symbol of Turin) has been erected byMario Ceroli. The area hosts also a student campus.
Next to the campus, a new cycling and pedestrian bridge on the River Dora was opened on 16 April 2010, linking the campus area toCorso Verona.Parco Colletta is a big park area touched by the two rivers of the district, which also hosts some sport facilities, mainlyassociation football fields and a swimming pool.
The district is completed by theCimitero Monumentale cemetery. This huge complex (formerly known asCimitero Generale) is the largest cemetery in Turin, and among the first in Italy for the number of buried people (over 400,000). It is close to theColletta park. The ancient part of the cemetery rises from the main entrance of Corso Novara with his octagonal shape. It contains numerous historical tombs and 12 km (7.5 mi) of arcades, enriched by artistic sculptures (that's why it is called a "monumental cemetery"). Over the years there have been subsequent extensions of the central historical body in the direction of the Colletta park. In the cemetery, there is a crematory temple built in 1882, one of the largest in Italy.
In the hills overlooking the city, theBasilica of Superga provides a view of Turin against a backdrop of the snow-capped Alps. The basilica holds the tombs of many of the dukes of Savoy, as well as many of the kings of Sardinia. Superga can be reached by means of theSuperga Rack Railway from Sassi suburb. The Basilica of Superga was built byAmadeus II of Savoy as an ex-voto for the liberation of Turin (1706), and served as a royal mausoleum since 1772.[39]
The most popular park in the city isParco del Valentino. In 1961, during the celebrations ofItalia61 (Italian unification centenary), an important international exhibition (FLOR61: Flowers of the world in Turin) took place in the park with 800 exhibitors from 19 countries. For the occasion the plan for the new lighting of the park, along with its fountains and paths, was assigned to Guido Chiarelli, the head engineer at the city hall.
Other large parks areParco della Pellerina,Parco Colletta,Parco Rignon,Parco Colonnetti and theUniversity botanical gardens. Around the city are several other parks such asLa Mandria Regional Park and theParco della Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi, once hunting grounds of the Savoy, and those on the hills of Turin. Many parks are smaller, in the various districts: there is also a total of 240 playgrounds in these parks. In the early 1960s, mayorAmedeo Peyron had the first garden in Italy with games for children inaugurated. According to aLegambiente report from 2007, Turin is the first Italian city as far as structures and policies on childcare are concerned.[40] One of the most famous parks featuring a children's playground isParco della Tesoriera, which is also home toAndrea della Corte Municipal Music Library; this facility is housed inVilla Tesoriera, built in 1715 and once the Royal Treasurer's residence. The park is in the Parella suburb (Turin's West Side) and hosts many concerts in summer.
Rosa Vercellana, commonly known asRosina and, inPiedmontese asLa Bela Rosin ('The Beautiful Rosin'), was themistress and later wife of KingVictor Emmanuel II. She was made Countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda, but never Queen of Italy. As the Savoy family refused to allow her to be buried next to her husband in thePantheon, her children had a mausoleum built for her in a similar form and on a smaller scale in Turin, next to the road to the Castello di Mirafiori. The circular copper-domedneoclassical monument, surmounted by aLatin cross and surrounded by a large park, was designed byAngelo Dimezzi and completed in 1888.[41][42]
As of 2025, Turin has a population of 856,745,[45] which is a significant decrease from the peak population of 1,167,968 in 1971. This result is due to a growing immigration fromsouthern Italy and abroad. Approximately 13.5 per cent (122,946) of the population is composed of foreigners, the largest numbers coming fromRomania (51,017),Morocco (22,511),Albania (9,165),China (5,483), andMoldova (3,417).[46] Like many northern Italian cities, there is a large proportion of pensioners in comparison to youth. Around 18 per cent of the population is under 20 years of age, while 22 per cent is over 65.[47] The population of the Turinurban area totals 1.7 million inhabitants, ranking fourth in Italy, while the Turinmetropolitan area has a population of 2.2 million inhabitants. The median age is 43.7.[4]
TheLingotto building in Via Nizza was once the world headquarters ofFiat
Turin developed as aFordist city in the early 20th century, which meant a shift from a service-based economy to an industry-based one.[49] In the vein of many Fordist economies Turin's economy relies heavily upon its automotive and aerospace industries.[50][51] Despite the general decline of the automotive industry since theoil crisis of 1973, the city still relies heavily upon its automotive industry. Since before the Second World War, the automotive industry has been the largest employer in the city, and almost all exports from Turin are manufactured goods.[50][52] The city serves as the headquarters toFiat (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino; Turin Italian Automobiles Factory), which has since been absorbed by its parent company, theFiat Chrysler Automobiles group (nowStellantis) headquartered in Amsterdam, the eighth largest automotive company in the world.[53] Turin is still home to a sizeable Fiat factory.[54]
From the 1980s, Turin diversified its economy and is shifting back towards a service economy. Tech and innovation industries are booming in Turin, which was ranked third in number of innovative startups and firms in the information-tech sector, and has some of the most patent applications to theEuropean Patent Office of any city.[50][55] In 2008 the city generated aGDP of $68 billion, ranking as the world's 78th richest city by purchasing power,[56] and 16th in Europe, according toPricewaterhouseCoopers.[57] Turin accounts for 8 percent of Italy's GDP.[58] The city has been ranked in 2010 byGlobalization and World Cities Research Network as aGamma-level city.
TheEgyptian Museum of Turin specialises in archaeology and anthropology, in particular theart of ancient Egypt. It is home to what is regarded as one of the largest collections of Egyptian antiquities outside of Egypt. In 2006 it received more than 500,000 visitors.[59] TheMuseum of Oriental Art houses one of the most importantAsian art collections in Italy.[60][61]
After it had been little more than a town for a long time, in 1559 the DukeEmmanuel Philibert of Savoy made Turin the capital of his domains. The Duke had the ambition to transform the city into a major artistic and cultural capital, and in the following centuries numerous artists were to work at the Savoy court, especially architects and planners such asCarlo di Castellamonte and his sonAmedeo,Guarino Guarini and, in the 18th century,Filippo Juvarra andBenedetto Alfieri.
The city's main opera house isTeatro Regio di Torino, where Puccini premiered hisLa bohème in 1896.[62] It was burned down in 1936 and was rebuilt after World War II. On 8 October 2021, theEuropean Broadcasting Union (EBU) andRAI announced that the city would host theEurovision Song Contest 2022, following Italy's victory at the2021 contest inRotterdam,Netherlands, with the song "Zitti e buoni", performed byMåneskin. The contest took place at thePala Alpitour, with both semi-finals of the contest took place on 10 and 12 May, and the grand final on 14 May. It was the first time that Turin has hosted the contest and the third time that Italy has hosted the contest overall, with the last being inRome in1991.[63]
Literature
National Library
A literary centre for many centuries, Turin began to attract writers only after the establishment of the court of theDukes of Savoy. One of the most famous writers of the 17th century wasGiambattista Marino, which in 1608 moved to the court ofCharles Emmanuel I. Marino suffered an assassination attempt by a rival,Gaspare Murtola, and was later imprisoned for a year because of gossip that he had said and written against the duke. Perhaps, because of this, in 1615 Marino left Turin and moved to France.
The main literary figures during the Baroque age in Turin wereEmanuele Tesauro andAlessandro Tassoni. In the next century Torino hosted the poetVittorio Alfieri from Asti for a while. The situation was very different in the 19th century, especially since the city became a point of reference for Italian unification and, subsequently, the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. Indeed, in those years Tommaseo, Settembrini andJohn Meadows resided in the city. A major literary and cultural woman of that time wasOlimpia Savio. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Turin was home to writers such asGuido Gozzano,Edmondo De Amicis,Emilio Salgari and Dino Segre, the latter known by the pseudonym ofPitigrilli.
The city is home to the well-knownShroud of Turin: a linen cloth bearing the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma in a manner consistent with crucifixion. The shroud is taken by many Christians to be a miraculous image ofJesus at the time of his death. It is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in the city centre. The shroud is one of the city's main symbols and tourist attractions, it is a symbol ofreligious devotion.
Science and technology
Turin had an astronomical observatory used byGiovanni Plana. The scientistAmedeo Avogadro worked as a professor in Turin.Galileo Ferraris, a professor at Turin University, discovered the working principles of theelectric motor during the 19th century.
In modern times, Turin hosted theCSELT telco laboratory.
The city has a rich sporting heritage as the home to two historically significant football teams:Juventus FC (founded in 1897) andTorino FC (founded in 1906). Juventus has the larger fan base, especially all over Italy and worldwide, while Torino enjoys a greater support in the city itself. The two clubs contest the oldestderby in Italy, theDerby della Mole.[64]
Torino FC was founded by the union of one of the oldest football teams in Turin,Football Club Torinese (founded in 1894), with breakaways from Juventus and was the most successful team, called "Grande Torino", in theSerie A during the 1940s. In 1949, in theSuperga air disaster, a plane carrying almost the whole team crashed into theBasilica of Superga in the Turin hills. Torino currently plays its home games at theStadio Olimpico "Grande Torino", named after the team of the 1940s, which was a host stadium for the1934 FIFA World Cup and the venue of the opening ceremonies of theXX Winter Olympics andIX Paralympic Winter Games and the closing ceremony of the former;[68] moreover the team recently rebuilt the historicStadio Filadelfia, used for games of the youth teams and trainings of the first squad, and the planned seat of the team museum.[69]
The city hosted the final stages of theEuroBasket 1979. The most importantbasketball club team is theAuxilium Torino, refounded in 2009, playing in the ItalianLBA. In 2018 Auxilium Torino went to win its firstItalian Basketball Cup ever.[70] Turin hosted the2006 Winter Olympics in February 2006. Turin is the largest city to have ever hosted a Winter Olympics, and was the largest metropolitan area to host them at the time.[71][72][73] The city was awarded with the title of European Capital of Sport 2015.[74] The candidature sees the city strongly committed to increasing sports activities.[75][76] The city hosts theATP Finals tennis event from 2021 to 2025.[77] Turin will host the2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games.[78]
Turin is the Italian city where filmchromatography was first established. As such, it forms the birthplace ofItalian cinema. Because of its historic, geographical and cultural proximity to France, Italian filmmakers were naturally influenced byFrench cinema and theLumière brothers. The first Italian cinema screening occurred in Turin in March 1896. In November 1896, Italian filmmakers performed the first cinema screening of a film before a fee-paying audience.[79]
By the start of the 20th century (especially after 1907), a number of the first Italian films were aired in Turin. Examples includeGiovanni PastroneCabiria, in 1914, one of the firstblockbusters in history.
The Turin-based companyAmbrosio Film, established in 1906 byArturo Ambrosio, was one of the leading forces in Italian cinema and boosted the importance of the city as a filmmaking destination. The company, noted in particular for its historical epics, produced a large number of films until it was dissolved in 1924.
Today Turin is one of the main cinematographic and television centres in Italy, thanks to the role of theTurin Film Commission that reports the production of many feature films, soap operas and commercials.
The iconicgianduiotto chocolateBicerin chocolate drink served in its trademark rounded glass
Turin is well known for its chocolate production, especially for its traditional, ingot-shaped chocolate calledgianduiotto, named afterGianduja, a localcommedia dell'arte mask. Moreover, the city is also known for the so-calledbicerin, a traditional hot drink made ofespresso,drinking chocolate andwhole milk served layered in a small rounded glass. Every year Turin organisesCioccolaTÒ, a two-week chocolate festival run with the main Piedmontese chocolate producers, such asCaffarel, Streglio,Venchi and others, as well as some big international companies, such asLindt & Sprüngli.
As forsnack food, the now populartramezzini were first served in a historic café of downtown Turin, namelyCaffè Mulassano, where they were devised in 1925 as an alternative toEnglishtea sandwiches.[84][85] In recent years, another trademark drink of the city isMoleCola, an Italiancola that entered production in 2012 and quickly spread both in Italy and outside its native country.[86]
Local cuisine also features a particular type of pizza, so-calledpizza al padellino orpizza al tegamino, which is basically a small-sized, thick-crust and deep-dish pizza typically served in several Turin pizza places.[87][88][89]
Since the mid-1980s, Piedmont has also benefited from the start of theSlow Food movement andTerra Madre, events that have highlighted the rich agricultural and vinicultural value of thePo Valley and northern Italy.
Education
Hall of the Rectorate Palace of the University of Turin
The city currently has a large number of rail and road work sites. Although this activity has increased as a result of the2006 Winter Olympics, parts of it had long been planned. Some of the work sites deal with general roadworks to improve traffic flow, such as underpasses and flyovers, but two projects are of major importance and will radically change the shape of the city.
One is theSpina Centrale ('Central Spine') project which includes the doubling of a major railway crossing the city, theTurin-Milan railway locally known asPassante Ferroviario di Torino ('Turin Railway Bypass'). The railroad previously ran in a trench, which will now be covered by a major boulevard running from north to south of Turin, in a central position along the city.Porta Susa, on this section, will become Turin's main station to substitute the terminus ofPorta Nuova with a through station. Other important stations areStura,Rebaudengo,Lingotto andMadonna di Campagna railway stations, though not all of them belong to the layout of theSpina Centrale.
The other major project is the construction of a subway line based on theVAL system, known asMetrotorino. This project is expected to continue for years and to cover a larger part of the city, but its first phase was finished in time for the2006 Olympic Games, inaugurated on 4 February 2006 and opened to the public the day after. The first leg of the subway system linked the nearby town ofCollegno with Porta Susa in Turin's city centre. On 4 October 2007, the line was extended to Porta Nuova and then, in March 2011, to Lingotto. A new extension of the so-calledLinea 1 ('Line 1') is expected in the near future, reaching bothRivoli (up to Cascine Vica hamlet) in the Western belt of Turin andPiazza Bengasi in the southeast side of the city. Furthermore, aLinea 2 is in the pipeline that will connect the south-western district of Mirafiori with Barriera di Milano in the north end. In June 2018, the project entered the public consultation phase with the proposed list of 23 stations published on the city's website.[91]
The main street in the city centre,Via Roma, runs atop a tunnel built during the fascist era (whenVia Roma itself was totally refurbished and took on its present-day aspect). The tunnel was supposed to host the underground line, but it is now used as an underground car park. A project to build an underground system was ready in the 1970s, with government funding for it and for similar projects inMilan and Rome. Whilst the other two cities went ahead with the projects, Turin's local government led by mayor Diego Novelli shelved the proposal as it believed it to be too costly and unnecessary.
The city has an international airport known asCaselle International AirportSandro Pertini (airport code: TRN), inCaselle Torinese, about 13 km (8 mi) from Turin's centre—connected to the city by rail (from Dora Station) and bus (from Porta Nuova and Porta Susa railway stations).
Central districts are served bytram; lines 3, 4, and 9 arelight rail.
A city tram. A bus can be seen behind.
Public transportation statistics
The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Turin (for example, to and from work) on a weekday is 65 minutes. 14% of public transit riders ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average time spent waiting at a stop or station for public transit is 14 minutes, while 19% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 5.9 km (3.7 mi), while 9% travel more than 12 km (7.5 mi) in a single direction.[92]
^Bonetto, Cristian; Garwood, Duncan; Hardy, Paula; et al. (2016). "Turin". In Lonely Planet Publishing Co. (ed.).Grand Tour of Italy. Road Trips. London.ISBN978-1-76034-157-2.There's a whiff of Paris in Turin's elegant tree-lined boulevards and echoes of Vienna in its statelyart nouveau cafes, but make no mistake – this elegant, Alp-fringed city is utterly self-possessed. The innovative Torinese gave the world its first saleable hard chocolate, perpetuated one of its greatest mysteries (the Holy Shroud), popularised a best-selling car (the Fiat) and inspired the black-and-white stripes of one of the planet's most iconic football teams (Juventus).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Anspach, Emma; Almog, Hilah; Taylor (2013) [2009]. Balser, Brittney; Santalbano, Alessandro (eds.)."The 1934 World Cup".Soccer Politics Pages, Soccer Politics Blog. Football and Politics in Europe, 1930s-1950s. Duke University. Retrieved16 March 2025.
^Vanolo, Alberto (September 2015). "The Fordist city and the creative city: Evolution and resilience in Turin, Italy".City, Culture, and Society. Volume 6, Issue 3: 69–74 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
^abcCarter, Donald K. (2016-03-02).Remaking Post-Industrial Cities: Lessons from North America and Europe. Routledge. p. 222.ISBN9781317481522.
^González, Sara (5 June 2017). "Locating the global financial crisis: variegated neo-liberalisation in four European cities".Territory, Politics, and Governance. Volume 6, Issue 4: 468–488 – via Taylor & Francis Online.
^Sixth most successful European club for confederation and FIFA competitions won with 11 titles. Sixth most successful club in Europe forconfederation club competition titles won (11), cf."Confermato: I più titolati al mondo!" (in Italian). A.C. Milan S.p.A. official website. 30 May 2013.Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved19 June 2013.
^In addition, Juventus FC were the first club in association football history to have won all possible confederation competitions (e.g. the international tournamentsorganised by UEFA) and remain the only in the world to achieve this, cf."Legend: UEFA club competitions". Union des Associations Européennes de Football. 21 August 2006. Archived fromthe original on 31 January 2010. Retrieved26 February 2013. "1985: Juventus end European drought". Union des Associations Européennes de Football. 8 December 1985. Archived fromthe original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved26 February 2013.
^Neus, Elizabeth (19 January 2006)."Olympics by the numbers".USA Today.Archived from the original on 6 February 2007. Retrieved18 April 2007.
^The 2002Salt Lake City games also claims this title because at the time of the Olympics its Combined Statistical Area population was 1,516,227 and some events were held in the Provo metropolitan area of 400,209 (tables from the censusArchived 30 April 2009 at theWayback Machine). Retrieved 6 March 2009.Archived 16 May 2009.
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