Sights in Liguria, Piedmont & Valle D'aosta
-
A
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.
reviewed
-
B
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.
reviewed
-
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.
reviewed
-
C
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).
reviewed
-
D
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.
reviewed
-
E
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.
reviewed
-
Chiesa di Santa Margherita
Vernazza's tiny harbour is a delight, so perfectly quaint you'll think you've wandered onto a film set. The small waterfront piazza is watched over by the harbourside gothic church of Santa Margherita di Antiochia complete with bell tower which has stood here since 1318.
reviewed
-
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.
reviewed
-
Via dell'Amore
The Via dell'Amore (Lovers' Lane) is a well-paved coastal path linking Manarola with Riomaggiore (1km/0.6mi). Studded with picnic areas and stone beaches embedded in the cliffside, it affords stunning ocean views. At either end, steps lead up from the train station to the path - checkpoints along the way ensure no one sneaks by without a valid trail pass.
The Via dell'Amore is part of the 12km-long (7.4mi) sentiero azzurro (blue trail) that runs the length of the coast between Monterosso and Riomaggiore. Unlike Lovers' Lane, which is flat, well-paved and suited to walkers of all abilities, the rest of the footpath is only for the sure-footed and well-equipped.
reviewed
-
Chiesa di Sant’Orso
Aosta’s most intriguing sight is this church, which is part of a still-operating monastery. The church dates back to the 10th century but was altered on several occasions, notably in the 15th century when Giorgio di Challant of the ruling family ordered the original frescoes painted over and a new, lower roof installed. All was not lost: the renovations left the upper levels of the frescoes intact above the new roofline. You can ask the warden to unlock the door, letting you clamber up a narrow flight of wooden steps into the cavity between the original and 15th-century ceilings to view the well-preserved remnants.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
F
Museo delle Culture del Mondo
Castello D’Albertis houses the eclectic Museo delle Culture del Mondo. The neo-Gothic edifice was built in 1892 on the ruins of a much older castle for the globetrotting Capitano Enrico D’Albertis, who hauled back all manner of ‘curiosities’ from his extensive sea voyages. Where else could you find a stuffed platypus, a fragment of the Great Wall of China and a handful of sand from San Salvador (Columbus’ first disembarkation point) in the same cabinet? If you don’t fancy the climb up to Corso Dogali, there’s a lift from Via Balbi (€0.70) to the castle gates.
reviewed
-
G
Cattedrale di San Lorenzo
With its black-and-white-striped Gothic marble facade making it look a bit like a giant humbug, Genoa's Cattedrale di San Lorenzo is fronted by twisting columns and crouching lions. Consecrated in 1118, its two bell towers and cupola were added in the 16th century.
Inside the cathedral, above the central doorway, there's a great lunette with a painting of the Last Judgment, the work of an anonymous Byzantine painter of the early 14th century. Look out for the unexploded British bomb, which luckily failed to detonate when it hit the cathedral in 1941.
reviewed
-
Bussana Vecchia
About 10km northeast of San Remo is the intriguing artist colony. On Ash Wednesday 1887, an earthquake destroyed the village, and survivors were eventually forced to abandon it. It remained a ghost town until the 1960s, when artists moved in and began rebuilding the ruins using the original stones from the rubble. After successfully standing up to authorities who wanted to remove them, a thriving community of international artists remains in residence today.
It's possible to stay overnight here - contact artist Colin Wilmot for more information.
reviewed
-
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).
reviewed
-
H
Palazzo Lomellino
The most elaborate facade belongs to the 1563 Palazzo Lomellino. The grey blue exterior is festooned with stucco adornments, while the internal courtyard is dominated by an 18th-century nymphaeum (monument to the nymphs). Upstairs, the remarkably preserved 17th-century frescoes by Bernardo Strozzi were only uncovered in 2002, after languishing for almost 300 years above a false ceiling. They depict allegories of the New World, in homage to the palace’s one-time owners, the Centurione family, who financed Columbus’ voyages.
reviewed
-
I
Palazzo Doria-Tursi
Tickets must be purchased at the bookshop inside Palazzo Doria-Tursi. The palace’s Sala Paganiniana has a small but absorbing collection of legendary violinist Niccolò Paganini’s personal effects. Pride of place goes to his ‘Canone’ violin, made in Cremona in 1743. One lucky musician gets to play the maestro’s violin during October’s Paganiniana festival. Other artefacts on show include letters, musical scores and his travelling chess set. The palace has housed Genoa’s town hall since 1848.
reviewed
-
Aosta Cathedral
Aosta's imposing cathedral has a neoclassical facade dedicated to the Madonna and dating from the 11th century, along with two Romanesque bell towers. but within is an impressive Gothic interior featuring carved 15th-century walnut-wood choir stalls and decorative floor mosaics.
In the deambulatory of the Aosta Cathedral, the Tesoro Museum houses a formidable collection of religious art treasures including paintings, marble sculptures and wooden icons dating back to the 4th century.
reviewed
-
Castello Brown
The Genoese-built castle saw action against the Venetians, Savoyards, Sardinians and Austrians and later fell to Napoleon. In 1867 it was transformed by the British diplomat Montague Yeats Brown into a private mansion. The fabulous tiled staircase is one of the showpieces of the neo-Gothic interior, while there are great views from the garden. For a better outlook continue for another 300m or so along the same track to the lighthouse.
reviewed
-
J
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.
reviewed
-
Abbazia della Cervara
Abbazia della Cervara was built in 1361 and is surrounded by formal gardens. Over the centuries, the abbey has hosted Benedictine monks, three popes and a saint (Catherine of Siena), and the French king, François I, who spent a less convivial time here as a prisoner after the 1525 Battle of Pavia. Tours take in the gardens, 15th-century chapterhouse, 16th-century cloister and the Saracen Tower.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Palazzo Ducale
On the Piazza De Ferrari is the Palazzo Ducale, accessed via Piazza Giacomo Matteotti. Once the seat of Genoa’s rulers, it hosts a few small specialist museums and archives, including the Museo del Jazz, with a collection of original recordings. High-profile temporary art exhibitions are held in the palazzo, which also has a bookshop, cafe and restaurants.
reviewed
-
L
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.
reviewed
-
M
Museo Amedeo Lia
La Spezia’s star attraction is the Museo Amedeo Lia, a fine-arts museum in a restored 17th-century friary. The collection covers the 13th to 18th centuries and includes paintings by masters such as Tintoretto, Montagna, Titian and Pietro Lorenzetti. Also on show are Roman bronzes and ecclesiastical treasures such as Limoges crucifixes and illuminated musical manuscripts.
reviewed
-
N
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.
reviewed
-
Museo Civico
In the Museo Civico, several rooms, some with fine frescoed ceilings, display local prehistoric and Roman archaeological finds, paintings and temporary exhibitions. Highlights include Maurizio Carrega’s Gloria di San Napoleone, painted in 1808 as a sycophantic homage to the Corsican despot of the same name, and bronze statues by Franco Bargiggia.
reviewed