This past weekend was a long weekend for me because of the All Saint's Day Holiday on November 1st. Because of this mini-vacation I decided to go to Turin, a city about 3 hours away from me by train in the northwest of Italy located on the River Po.
Turin used to be Italy's capital before Rome and is now the capital of the Piedmont Region. When people think of Italy, they usually think of Rome, Florence, Venice, but not exactly Turin. However, this elegant city also has plenty to offer and is definitely not one to pass up. For one thing, it has a lot of history attached to it. From 1280 AD Turin belonged to the House of Savoy and was integrated into the Duchy. Turin became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 when the unification of Italy took place. During the early 90s, FIAT and Lancia were founded, changing Turin into an industrial city. Turin also became an important center for cinema thanks to the foundation of Ambrosio Film, Italy's first film company. And the Olympics were hosted in this city in 2006. Along with the history, there are many beautiful sights to see here, which I'll get into now!
When I first arrived in Turin, I went to one of Turin's main squares, Piazza San Carlo.
Piazza San Carlo has 2 twin churches (the church of Santa Cristina and the San Carlo Borromeo Church) with the equestrian statue of Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy in the middle. This past weekend, there was also a big food market with many tents that were selling different sweets and drinks.
Turin is known for its chocolate so I found many sweets made out of chocolate here, including shoes, bunnies, and dogs.
When I was in the piazza I entered the church of Santa Cristina. Because it mirrors San Carlo Borromeo, the church right beside it, the arrangement is similar to the two twin churches of Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto in the Piazza del Popolo in Rome.
I continued walking in the city after going to this church and arrived in Piazza Castello. Here you can see the First World War Memorial, dedicated to Emanuele Filiberto, 2nd Duke of Aosta.
The other side of the Piazza Castello, view from the back of the Palazzo Madama
I also entered the Basilica of Corpus Domini, a church in Turin built to celebrate the "Miracle of the Eucharist." The event happened on June 6, 1453 when soldiers were transporting the booty of a church they sacked. When the sacramental bread from the Exilles' church fell on the ground during their trip, the Holy Spirit rose and illuminated the square from the air.
Later that night I met up with my friend, Isela, who is another English assistant, and I ate pasta carbonara when we went out to eat.
Torino at night
The next day we went to the Mole Antonelliana, one of the most distinct buildings of Turin. It was originally built to be a Jewish Synagogue but now houses the National Cinema Museum. It is the tallest museum in the world at 167.5 metres.
The pictures above are all from the cinema museum. Torino is actually the birthplace of Italian Cinema so it makes sense that the city has an amazing museum dedicated to this art. The exhibitions are all very interesting and retrace the history of cinema with many different types of objects, like the first cameras, the original panoramic photograph, and even the Star Wars saga helmets. In the huge main room, cinema seats are arranged to watch movies on 2 giant screens on the ceiling.
Next, we walked about 30 minutes through magnificent piazzas and the beautiful Po River to reach the Monte dei Cappuccini, a hill where you can see one of the most famous views of Turin.
We had to climb a windy and hilly road at the very end to get here, but once at the top, the view of the city and Alps on the horizon is definitely worth it.
It was a clear day when we went so we could see the entirety of this expansive city!
At the top you'll also find the Church of Santa Maria al Monte dei Cappuccini and the Convent of the Capuchin Friars. The inside of the church is very beautiful.
Next, we went to the Royal Palace of Turin, which is the historic palace of the House of Savoy. It was originally build in the 1500s and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Inside, we saw a number of art exhibitions, numerous apartments, halls, and ballrooms, the grand staircase, the dining rooms, the incredible throne room, the Royal Gardens, the Royal Armory, the Royal Library, an Art gallery and antiquity museum, and the Chapel of the Holy Shroud. Every room is so opulent and blows you away with its beauty and splendor.
Our last full day in Turin was Monday and we wanted to go to the Egyptian Museum, one of Turin's greatest museums. However, when we got there, we found out that all the tickets were sold out for the day so we had to switch plans and ended up going to a park instead.
An Italian style icon we saw on our way to the park -- a Vespa scooter
We went to the Parco del Valentino, which spans over 42 hectares along the Po River.
In the heart of the park you can find medieval village of Turin. It was created in 1884 for an Italian exhibition and recreates the atmosphere of a typical Piedmontese town in the 15th century. In fact, every detail of the buildings and furnishings was faithfully copied from existing originals or from illustrations of the period. You can even see a drawbridge, craft shops, and even a chapel here. It's hard to realize that it is a fake!
As we strolled through the park under the shade, we saw the beautiful fall colors on the trees, plenty of ducks and pigeons, and a few waterfalls.
We also had lunch at the park -- Polenta, sausage, and red wine. It was delicious!
Isela and me at the Parco del Valentino.
Also near the Parco del Valentino is the Castello del Valentino. We couldn't go inside because the castle isn't open to visitors so we just admired the outside, with the facade that imitates French castles. It was built in 1620 by Duke Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy.
After visiting the Parco del Valentino, we saw Turin's Cathedral which was built during the last years of the 1400s. It is located near the Royal Palace and is dedicated to the patron saint of Turin – Giovanni Battista.
The Cathedral is famous for housing the Shroud of Turin, a piece of cloth bearing the image of a man. Some believe this man to be Jesus Christ and the piece of cloth to be his burial shroud after he was taken down from the cross. During the exposition of 1898, Secondo Pia (a lawyer from the town of Asti) was allowed to photograph the Shroud. He was surprised when he saw that the photographic negative revealed the positive image (as we see in real life) of a man with a clear and impressive countenance.
The Shroud of Turin
Not far from the Cathedral and the Palazzo Reale is the Porta Palatina, which was one of the 4 entrances of Turin during the Roman period.
The building is composed of a central door with 2 entrances for chariots, 2 pedestrian entrances dating from the Roman period and 2 towers with battlements added during the medieval period. It’s one of Turin’s oldest monuments.
We ended the day with dinner at Mercato Centrale Torino, near the Porta Palazzo market. The Mercato Centrale is a huge food market with a variety of vendors selling all different types of delicacies. I got pasta carbonara (my favorite) and Isela ate steak and potatoes. With whatever you choose here, you can't go wrong!
Porta Palazzo market
And those were most of the things I did during my three days in Torino! I was so impressed with this elegant city because of its span of history and how its attractions range from old to new. Turin has everything that makes Italy charming -- world-class museums, royal residences, and beautiful piazzas and churches. It definitely merits a visit for a weekend or for a few days!
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