Sights in Piedmont
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Sacra di San Michele
Brooding above the road 14km from Turin is the Sacra di San Michele, a Gothic-Romanesque abbey that has kept sentry atop Monte Pirchiriano (962m) since the 10th century. Look out for the whimsical ‘Zodiac Door’, a 12th-century doorway sculpted with putti (cherubs) pulling each other’s hair. To get to the abbey get off at Sant’Ambrogio station and hike up a steep path for 1½ hours. Alternatively, there’s a special bus from Avigliana train station six times a day from May to September. Concerts are held on Saturday evenings in summer; ask for details at the tourist office in Avigliana, 12km west.
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Museo Nazionale del Cinema
A decade ago, the tower became home to the multifloored Museo Nazionale del Cinema, which takes you on a fantastic tour through cinematic history – from the earliest magic lanterns, stereoscopes and other optical toys to the present day. Movie memorabilia on display includes Marilyn Monroe’s black lace bustier, Peter O’Toole’s robe from Lawrence of Arabia and the coffin used by Bela Lugosi’s Dracula. At the heart of the museum, the vast Temple Hall is surrounded by 10 interactive ‘chapels’ devoted to various film genres.
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Basilica di Superga
Basilica di Superga became the final resting place of the Savoys, whose lavish tombs make for interesting viewing, as does the dome here. In 1949 a plane carrying the entire Turin football team crashed into the basilica in thick fog, killing all on board. Their tomb rests at the rear of the church.
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Castello di Rivoli
A worthwhile trip further afield, the star of Turin’s contemporary art scene is the 17th-century Castello di Rivoli. It’s a striking contrast to the contemporary art housed inside at the Museo d’Arte Contemporanea. Works by Franz Ackermann, Gilbert and George, and Frank Gehry would have been beyond the wildest imagination of the Savoy family, who resided at this site from the 14th century onwards. The castle is outside central Turin in the town of Rivoli (not to be confused with the city’s metro station named Rivoli).
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Museo della Sindone
Shroud fiends will go gaga over the Museo della Sindone; however, despite its informative displays and unexpected 'shroud' paraphernalia - such as the first camera used to photograph the cloth (1898), and test tubes used to store traces of human blood removed from the shroud in 1978 - the museum does little to unravel the mystery of the Holy Shroud. Guided tours are in Italian only; ask for an English-language audioguide, which is free.
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Duomo di San Giovanni
Turin's Duomo di San Giovanni, built between 1491 and 1498 on the site of three 14th-century basilicas, is the home of the famous Shroud of Turin. A copy of the cloth is on permanent display in front of the cathedral altar. Just to the north lies the remains of a 1st-century Roman amphitheatre, while a little further to the northwest lies Porta Palatina, the red-brick remains of a Roman-era gate.
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Palazzo Reale
Statues of the mythical twins Castor and Pollux guard the entrance to the Palazzo Reale and, according to local legend, also watch over the border between the sacred (‘white magic’) and diabolical (‘black magic’) halves of the city. Built for Carlo Emanuele II around 1646, its lavishly decorated rooms house an assortment of furnishings, porcelain and other knick-knacks.
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Parco Valentino
Walking southwest along the Po river brings you to Castello del Valentino (closed to the public), a mock chateau built in the 17th century. The 550,000 sq-metre French-style Parco Valentino surrounding the chateau opened in 1856 and is filled with joggers, promenaders and cafes night and day (though take care on your own here late at night).
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Panoramic Lift
The Mole Antonelliana Tower's glass Panoramic Lift whisks you 85m up through the centre of the museum to the Mole's roof terrace in 59 seconds. Fair warning if you're even slightly prone to vertigo: it's suspended only by cables, so when you look out it's as if you're free-floating in space. The 360-degree views from the outdoor viewing deck are dazzling by day or night.
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Chiesa della Gran Madre di Dio
This church was built between 1818 and 1831 to commemorate the return of Vittorio Emanuele I from exile. The steps leading up to the church were the ones Michael Caine famously careered down in the cult film, The Italian Job, while some mystics would have you believe that the Holy Grail is actually buried under the church. Its interior is closed to the public.
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Cathedral
Turin’s cathedral, built between 1491 and 1498 on the site of three 14th-century basilicas, is the home of the famous Shroud of Turin (purported to be the burial cloth in which Jesus’ body was wrapped). A copy of the cloth is on permanent display in front of the cathedral altar.
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Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano
Baroque Palazzo Carignano was the birthplace of Carlo Alberto and Vittorio Emanuele II, and the seat of united Italy’s first parliament from 1861 to 1864. You can normally see the parliament as part of the Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano.
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Castle
A few kilometres south of Saluzzo, the creaking medieval castle in the village of Manta is one of the finest examples of its kind, and carefully guards Europe’s most important cycle of late-Gothic secular frescoes. Its large park remains open throughout the day.
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Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali
Your average menagerie of stuffed animals (brown bears and so on) is on show at the Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali, but what sets this natural science museum apart is its setting: a monumental 17th-century hospital with four inner courtyards and a chapel.
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Mole Antonelliana
The symbol of Turin is the Mole Antonelliana. This 167m tower, with its distinctive aluminium spire, appears on the Italian two-cent coin. It was originally intended as a synagogue when construction began in 1862, but was never used as a place of worship.
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Palazzo Madama
Piazza Castello is dominated by Palazzo Madama, a part-medieval, part-baroque castle built in the 13th century on the site of the old Roman gate. It was named after Madama Reale Maria Cristina, the widow of Vittorio Amedeo I, who lived here in the 17th century.
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Museo dell'Automobile
For modern art with a metallic sheen, head for the Museo dell'Automobile. Among its 400 masterpieces are one of the first FIATs and the Isotta Franchini driven by Gloria Swanson in the film Sunset Boulevard. It's a rev-head's paradise.
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Torre Troyana o Dell’Orologio
During the late 13th century the Piedmont region became one of Italy’s wealthiest, with 150-odd towers springing up in Asti alone. Of the 12 that remain today, one, the 38m-tall Torre Troyana o Dell’Orologio, can be climbed.
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Museo Civico di Casa Cavassa
The Museo Civico di Casa Cavassa is a fine example of a 16th-century noble residence, and contains a valuable 1499 gold-leaved painting, Nostra Signora dell Grazie (Our Lady of Mercy) by Hans Klemer.
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Piazza Castello
Turin's central square shelters a wealth of museums, theatres and cafés. Essentially baroque, the grand piazza was laid out from the 14th century to serve as the seat of dynastic power for the House of Savoy.
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Museo Civico d’Arte Antica
Part of Palazzo Madama houses the Museo Civico d’Arte Antica, containing a sumptuous collection of works that document the city’s artistic movements post-Italian unification.
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Museo d’Antichità
Museo d’Antichità displays antiquities amassed by the Savoy dynasty, including Etruscan urns, Roman bronzes and Greek vases, alongside assorted locally excavated archaeological finds.
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Museo Civico Artistico-Storico
The history of the town, Bra, is exhibited in the Palazzo Traversa, aka the Museo Civico Artistico-Storico and includes Roman artefacts, 18th-century paintings and medieval weaponry.
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Palazzo Bricherasio
Temporary exhibitions are held in Palazzo Bricherasio. In its time, the gallery, in a 17th-century palace, has hosted surrealist Dali and been ‘wrapped’ by Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
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Chiesa di San Lorenzo
In the northwestern corner of the Piazzo Castello square is the baroque Chiesa di San Lorenzo, designed by Guarino Guarini. The church's richly complex interior compensates for the spare façade.
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