Turin
Home of the Fiat car company, the famous Shroud, and the Juventus football team, Turin (Torino to the Italians) is also a town of grace and charm, with superb Baroque architecture.
Many of Turin’s monuments were erected by the House of Savoy (rulers of Piedmont and Sardinia) from their capital here, before Italian unification in 1861 made the head of the House of Savoy King of Italy.
The Museo Egizio – one of the world’s great collections of Egyptian artifacts – was amassed by Bernardo Drovetti, Napoleon’s Consul General in Egypt.
Wall and tomb paintings, papyri, sculptures, and a reconstruction of the 15th-century BC Rock Temple of Ellessya are among its marvels.
The Galleria Sabauda, in the same building,was the House of Savoy’s main painting collection, and houses a stunning array of works by Italian, French,Flemish, and Dutch masters.
Other notable buildings include San Lorenzo, theformer Royal Chapel designedby Guarino Guarini (1624-83),which boasts an extraordinary geometric dome. The Palazzo Reale, seat of the Savoys, holds a vast arms collection.
The Duomo (1497-8), Turin’s cathedral dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is the only example of Renaissance architecture in the city.
Inside, the Cappella della Sacra Sindone, also designed by Guarini, houses the famous Turin Shroud.
Inside the Palazzo Madama, the Museo Civico d’Arte Anticacontains a variety of Classical and antique treasures. Turin’ss ymbol, the 167-m (547-ft) Mole Antonelliana, hosts theexcellent Museo Nazionaledel Cinema.
Population: 940,000.
Airport: Caselle 15 km (9 miles)
Information: Piazza Castello (011-53 51 81).
Festival: Festa di San Giovanni (Jun 24).
Website: http://www.comune.torino.it/en/