Turin. In the northwest of Italy. Famous as all for the Olympic winter games in 2006 or, maybe, for his passionate football life. Not many people know that this city has a very glorious past, that we can also be see today in its street and squares. I mean not only a “Roman’s past”, but more recent: till 1864 it was the capital of Italy. Nowadays we meet and see a city full of life, culture, food’s culture and vitality; and, of course, its nearest with the “Alpes” take to it one of the best destination, even for a simple weekend.
If you decide to spend a weekend in that city there are five unmissable places that, if you have been in Turin and you didn’t visit, well… Maybe you weren’t in Turin at all!
Mole Antonelliana
Let’s begin with the symbol of the city. The “Mole”, positioned in the centre of the city, in the middle of the Town. It was built for Alessandro Antonelli in 1863 as a synagogue for the Jews community and it was till the 1880 when this monument was granted to the city of Turin.
Traditionally that’s the symbol of the city of Turin and also of all the region with all its 180 metres of high. Nowadays it’s hosting the “Cinema’s museum”, an ancient synagogue and a little part of the “Risorgimento’s museum”. But without any doubts the most attraction is the elevator itself: after a few minutes of travel tourists can arrive on the top of this ancient and magnificent tower to see and admire – for his most high – all the city from the centre of the city. The sightseen it’s amazing, with the unmissable possibility to live with the most subjective and globally perspective the first capital of Italy.
Vittorio Veneto Square and “Gran Madre”
A few minutes walking from the Mole, we meet the principles square of Turin: Piazza Vittorio Veneto. Historically famous for his position and for its linked to one of the mayor church of the city “Gran Madre”, that’s it’s (directly) in front of that square.
It’s hosted a lot of bars, restaurants and boutique. It’s a great location to have a beautiful and perfect lunch, dinner or aperitive, with the incredible view of the Old Town, the river Po and live – even if for a few hours – the real atmosphere of the city.
photo: Stefano Tesori
Basilica Di Superga
As everyone know, when you are on holiday abroad, you’d like to spend most of the time walking, visiting museums and, above all, to photograph the most you can.
If this city has a very powerful and amazing place to photograph and contemplate the all city (till its mountains) it’s without any doubts the “Basilica of Superga”. It not so far from the centre of the city (something like 15 minutes with the local transport) and its sightseen hasn’t rivals.
It’s an ancient church, built in 1715 for the famous architect “Filippo Juvarra”, on the top of the main hill of the city; that’s the reason why you will be above the all city from a 360° perspective. In the contemporaneity it is also famous for the “disaster of Superga”: it was the 4th of May in the 1949 when the all the football team of “Torino” (one of the most glorious team in all the history of Italian’s football) crushed in this hill. No one survived at this tragedy, and after that day Superga begun the symbol of this team, and every year at this date there is a solemn mass in memory of this team, which “was beaten only by the fate”.
Without doubts the best moment to go there and have an amazing and unforgettable perspective it’s during the sunset or the sunrise; the atmosphere and the sightseen will beat you!
Venaria’s Royal Palace
As the proverb says: “If you visit Turin, but not the Venaria’s royal place is like you’ve seen the mother but not the daughter”. Is enough to explain how great, magnificent and unmissable that it is!
It was built across the year and terminate above the view of Filippo Juvarra (the same architect of Superga’s Basilica) with the purpose of being the hunting’s royal house; that’s why it is not in the centre of the city, but a little bit far (like 20 minutes with local transportation).
The complex is incredibly big, in the middle of a natural park and the majesty inside of his building remind the visitor to the monarchy and royal family’s time. Currently it hosts one museum and a lot of temporary exhibitions.
Egypt’s Museum
The last but not the least, you can’t go to Turin without visiting the Museum of Egypt.
That’s the second in all the world, after the first one of “Cairo”, for the number of the objects inside and the volume of his area. Currently t was totally renovated and can count of an incredible amount of new interactive technologies that give an incredible experience to the eyes of the visitors.
That’s are just five of the greatest place, square or monuments that Turin can offers you! And if you can spend just a weekend there, those five places will give you a globally idea how what the city is and what it can offer!
There could be a reason if that was the only Italian city mentioned and recommended in 2016 by the New York Times.
So, what are you doing? Book a flight and go to discover the first capital of Italy!
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Written by Stefano Salera
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