Turin

Turin Torino (Italian)
Comune
Città di Torino
Skyline of Turin Royal Palace of Turin Borgo Medioevale Mole Antonelliana Palazzo Madama Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi Chapel of the Holy Shroud
Latin) ("My help comes from the Lord")
Location of Turin
ISTAT code		001272
Patron saint	John the Baptist
Saint day	24 June
Website	Official website
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Residences of the Royal House of Savoy
Includes	several locations in Turin
Criteria	Cultural: (i)(ii)(iv)(v)
Reference	823bis
Inscription	1997 (21st Session)
Extensions	2010

Turin (

The city was historically a major European political centre. From 1563, it was the capital of the

As of 2018, the city has been ranked by

The city has a rich culture and history, and it is known for its numerous

.

In addition, the city is home to museums, such as the Museo Egizio,^[12] and the Mole Antonelliana, the city's architectural symbol, which in turn hosts the National Museum of Cinema. Turin's attractions make it one of the world's top 250 tourist destinations and the tenth most visited city in Italy in 2008.

The city also hosts some of Italy's best universities, colleges, academies,

History

Palatine Towers

The

, which points to a wider use of the name in earlier times.

Roman era

In the first century BC (probably 28 BC^[

are preserved in the area of the Manica Nuova. Turin reached about 5,000 inhabitants at the time, all living inside the high city walls.

Middle Ages

After the fall of the

prince-bishopric by the Bishops. In 1230–1235, it was a lordship under the Marquess of Montferrat, styled Lord of Turin. At the end of the 13th century, when it was annexed to the Duchy of Savoy, the city already had 20,000 inhabitants. Many of the gardens and palaces were built in the 15th century when the city was redesigned. The University of Turin

was also founded during this period.

Early modern

Emmanuel Philibert, also known under the nickname of Iron Head (Testa 'd Fer), made Turin the capital of the Duchy of Savoy in 1563.^[21] Piazza Reale (named Piazza San Carlo today) and Via Nuova (current Via Roma) were added along with the first enlargement of the walls, in the first half of the 17th century; in the same period the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace of Turin) was also built. In the second half of that century, a second enlargement of the walls was planned and executed, with the building of the arcaded Via Po, connecting Piazza Castello with the bridge on the Po through the regular street grid.

In 1706, during the

Treaty of Utrecht the Duke of Savoy acquired Sicily, soon traded for Sardinia, and part of the former Duchy of Milan, and obtained the title of King of Sardinia; thus Turin became the capital of a European kingdom. The architect Filippo Juvarra

began a major redesign of the city; Turin had about 90,000 inhabitants at the time.

Late modern and contemporary

Turin, like the rest of

Kingdom of Italy having been the political and intellectual centre of the Risorgimento movement,^[8][22] until 1865, when the capital was moved to Florence, and then to Rome after the 1870 conquest of the Papal States. The 1871 opening of the Fréjus Tunnel made Turin an important communication node between Italy and France. The city in that period had 250,000 inhabitants. Some of the most iconic landmarks of the city, like the Mole Antonelliana, the Egyptian Museum, the Gran Madre di Dio church and Piazza Vittorio Veneto were built in this period. The late 19th century was also a period of rapid industrialization, especially in the automotive sector: in 1899 Fiat was established in the city, followed by Lancia in 1906. The Universal Exposition held in Turin in 1902 is often regarded as the pinnacle of Art Nouveau design, and the city hosted the same event in 1911

. By this time, Turin had grown to 430,000 inhabitants.

After

Fascist regime in Italy put an end to the social unrest, banning trade unions and jailing socialist leaders, notably Antonio Gramsci. On the other hand, Benito Mussolini

largely subsidised the automotive industry, to provide vehicles to the army.

Turin

area bombing by the RAF; the heaviest raid took place on 13 July 1943, when 295 bombers dropped 763 tons of bombs, killing 792 people.^[23] Overall, these raids killed 2,069 inhabitants of Turin, and destroyed or damaged 54% of all buildings in the city.^[24][25]

The Allied's

Italian Partisans, that had begun revolting against the Germans and the Italian RSI troops on 25 April 1945. Days later, troops from the US Army's 1st Armored and 92nd Infantry Divisions came to substitute the Brazilians.^[26][27]

In the postwar years, Turin was rapidly rebuilt. The city's automotive industry played a pivotal role in the

U.S. automobile industry (both cities has been twinned in 1998). In the 1970s and 1980s, the oil and automotive industry crisis severely hit the city, and its population began to sharply decline, losing more than one-fourth of its total in 30 years. The long population decline of the city has begun to reverse itself only in recent years, as the population grew from 865,000 to slightly over 900,000 by the end of the century. In 2006, Turin hosted the Winter Olympic Games

.

Geography

Turin is in northwest Italy. It is surrounded on the western and northern front by the Alps and on the eastern front by a high hill that is the natural continuation of the hills of Monferrato. Four major rivers pass through the city: the Po and three of its tributaries, the Dora Riparia (once known as Duria Minor by the Romans, from the Celtic noun duria meaning "water"), the Stura di Lanzo and the Sangone.

Climate

Located in northwestern Italy at the foot of the Alps, Turin features a mid-latitude, four seasons humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa), similar to that of Grenoble, located not far away in the French Alps.

Winters are moderately cold and dry, summers are mild in the hills and quite hot in the plains. Rain falls mostly during spring and autumn; during the hottest months, otherwise, rains are less frequent but heavier (thunderstorms are frequent). During the winter and autumn months banks of fog, which are sometimes very thick, form in the plains^[28] but rarely on the city because of its location at the end of the Susa Valley. Snowfalls are not uncommon during the winter months, although substantial accumulation is quite uncommon.

Its position on the east side of the Alps makes the weather drier than on the west side because of the

föhn wind

effect.

The highest temperature ever recorded was 37.1 °C (98.8 °F) on

11 August 2003

, and the lowest was −21.8 °C (−7.2 °F) on 12 February 1956.

Climate data for Torino Caselle Airport, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1946–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	25.1 (77.2)	26.6 (79.9)	27.4 (81.3)	31.0 (87.8)	32.3 (90.1)	35.6 (96.1)	36.8 (98.2)	37.1 (98.8)	32.7 (90.9)	30.0 (86.0)	22.8 (73.0)	21.4 (70.5)	37.1 (98.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	8.0 (46.4)	10.2 (50.4)	14.8 (58.6)	18.0 (64.4)	22.2 (72.0)	26.4 (79.5)	29.0 (84.2)	28.6 (83.5)	23.9 (75.0)	18.1 (64.6)	12.2 (54.0)	8.3 (46.9)	18.3 (65.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	3.3 (37.9)	4.9 (40.8)	9.2 (48.6)	12.6 (54.7)	16.9 (62.4)	21.0 (69.8)	23.2 (73.8)	22.8 (73.0)	18.6 (65.5)	13.5 (56.3)	7.9 (46.2)	3.8 (38.8)	13.1 (55.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−1.5 (29.3)	−0.3 (31.5)	3.7 (38.7)	7.2 (45.0)	11.6 (52.9)	15.5 (59.9)	17.4 (63.3)	17.1 (62.8)	13.3 (55.9)	8.9 (48.0)	3.5 (38.3)	−0.7 (30.7)	8.0 (46.4)
Record low °C (°F)	−18.5 (−1.3)	−21.8 (−7.2)	−10.5 (13.1)	−3.8 (25.2)	−2.3 (27.9)	4.3 (39.7)	6.6 (43.9)	6.3 (43.3)	1.8 (35.2)	−3.9 (25.0)	−8.2 (17.2)	−13.8 (7.2)	−21.8 (−7.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	47.8 (1.88)	47.1 (1.85)	72.5 (2.85)	113.3 (4.46)	145.3 (5.72)	104.3 (4.11)	70.5 (2.78)	76.1 (3.00)	83.8 (3.30)	106.1 (4.18)	69.1 (2.72)	45.1 (1.78)	981.0 (38.62)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	5.4	4.4	5.8	8.6	11.2	8.6	5.8	7.7	6.4	7.0	5.6	4.4	80.9
Average relative humidity (%)	75	75	67	72	75	74	72	73	75	79	80	80	75
Mean monthly sunshine hours	111.6	118.7	158.1	180.0	195.3	219.0	260.4	223.2	168.0	142.6	105.0	108.5	1,990.4
Source 1: Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale[29]
Source 2: Italian Air Force Meteorological Service (precipitation, humidity and sun 1971–2000)[30][31][32]

Administration

See also: List of mayors of Turin

Turin is split up into 8

rioni

, borghi, borgate or zone. The "circoscrizioni" system originally comprised 10 of them, that were reduced to 8 by merging borough 9 into 8, and 10 into 2.

The following list numerates the boroughs and the location of the historical districts inside them:^[33]

• Circoscrizione 1: Centro – Crocetta
• Circoscrizione 2: Santa Rita – Mirafiori Nord – Mirafiori Sud
• Circoscrizione 3: San Paolo – Cenisia – Pozzo Strada – Cit Turin – Borgata Lesna
• Circoscrizione 4: San Donato – Campidoglio – Parella
• Circoscrizione 5: Borgo Vittoria – Madonna di Campagna – Lucento – Vallette
• Circoscrizione 6: Barriera di Milano – Regio Parco – Barca – Bertolla – Falchera – Rebaudengo – Villaretto
• Circoscrizione 7: Aurora – Vanchiglia – Sassi – Madonna del Pilone
• Circoscrizione 8: San Salvario – Cavoretto – Borgo Po – Nizza Millefonti – Lingotto – Filadelfia

The mayor of Turin is directly elected every five years. The current mayor of the city is Stefano Lo Russo (PD), elected in 2021.

Turin's historical architecture is predominantly

, replacing former buildings already present in this area.

Via Roma runs between

-type arches. To this day Via Roma is the street featuring the most fashionable boutiques of the city.

Emmanuel Philibert

Via Roma crosses one of the main squares of the city: the pedestrianized Piazza San Carlo, built by

. Piazza San Carlo arcades host the most ancient cafés of the city, such as Caffé Torino and Caffé San Carlo.

At the northern end of Via Roma stands Piazza Castello, regarded as the heart of the city. The half-pedestrianized square hosts some significant buildings such as Palazzo Reale (Former Savoy Royal House), the Palazzo Madama (which previously hosted the Savoy senate and, for few years, the Italian senate after Italian unification), the former Baroque

, a sort of skyscraper which was supposed to become the headquarters of the Fascist party, although it never served as such. The building's style is quite different from the Baroque style of Piazza Castello. The square regularly hosts the main open space events of the city, live concerts included.

As for the southern part of the street, Via Roma ends in Piazza Carlo Felice and in its Giardino Sambuy, a wide fenced garden right in the middle of the square. Across from Piazza Carlo Felice stands the monumental façade of Porta Nuova railway station, the central station of the city built between 1861 and 1868 by the architect Alessandro Mazzucchetti. The passengers building was renovated to host a shopping mall and more efficient passenger service offices. However, it is still an example of monumental architecture, with its stately foyer and some Baroque sights, such as the Sala Reale (the former Royal waiting room).

In Piazza Castello converge some of the main streets of the city centre. Among them, one of the most significant is the arcaded Via Po, built by Amedeo di Castellamonte in 1674 and featuring some interesting buildings, such as the first and original building of the University of Turin and the historical Caffè Fiorio, which was the favourite café of the 19th-century politicians. Via Po ends in Piazza Vittorio Veneto (simply called Piazza Vittorio locally), the largest Baroque square in Europe and today heart of Turin nightlife. Piazza Vittorio features the most fashionable bars and not far from here, along the Po riverfront, the Murazzi quays used to host several bars and nightclubs open until the morning until a few years ago.

Parallel to Via Roma, the other two popular pedestrian streets, namely Via Lagrange and Via Carlo Alberto, cross the old town from Via Po to Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. Their recent pedestrianisation has improved their original commercial vocation. In particular, Via Lagrange has recently increased the presence of luxury boutiques. This street also hosts the Egyptian Museum of Turin, home to what is regarded as one of the largest collections of Egyptian antiquities outside of Egypt.

Via Lagrange and Via Carlo Alberto cross two significant squares of the city, respectively. The former crosses Piazza Carignano, well known mainly for the undulating "concave – convex-concave" Baroque façade of Palazzo Carignano. This building used to host the Parlamento Subalpino (the "Subalpine Parliament", Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia which also became the Italian Parliament for a few years, after the Italian unification) and today houses the Museum of the Risorgimento. The square also features the Teatro Carignano, a well-conserved Baroque theatre. Via Carlo Alberto crosses Piazza Carlo Alberto, a big square hosting the rear façade of Palazzo Carignano, in eclectic style. On the other side stands the monumental Biblioteca Nazionale (National Library).

Not far from Via Po stands the symbol of Turin, namely the Mole Antonelliana, so named after the architect who built it, Alessandro Antonelli. Construction began in 1863 as a Jewish synagogue. Nowadays it houses the National Museum of Cinema and it is believed to be the tallest museum in the world at 167 m (548 ft). The building is depicted on the Italian 2-cent coin.

Just behind Piazza Castello stands the

.

Palatine Towers

Next to the Turin Cathedral stand the

maximus, the typical second main street of a Roman town. The Palatine Towers are among the best preserved Roman remains in Northern Italy. Close to this site, the 51,300 m² (552,189 sq ft) Piazza della Repubblica plays host to the biggest open market in Europe, locally known as mercato di Porta Palazzo (Porta Palazzo or Porta Pila are the historical and local names of this area).

West of the Porte Palatine stands the Quadrilatero Romano (Roman Quadrilateral), the old medieval district recently renewed. The current neighbourhood is characterised by its tiny streets and its several medieval buildings and today it is popular for its aperitivo bars and its small shops run by local artisans. The hub of the Quadrilatero is Piazza Emanuele Filiberto.

South of the Quadrilatero Romano stands Via Garibaldi, another popular street of the city. It is a 1 km (0.6 mi) pedestrian street between Piazza Castello and Piazza Statuto which features some of the old shops of the city. Large Piazza Statuto is another example of Baroque square with arcades.

Another main street of downtown is Via Pietro Micca, which starts in Piazza Castello and ends in the large Piazza Solferino. The street continues in Via Cernaia up to Piazza XVIII Dicembre, which features the former

passengers building, relocated in 2012 a little more southward. The new and larger passengers building is situated between Corso Bolzano and Corso Inghilterra and is an example of contemporary architecture, being a 300 m-long (980 ft) and 19 m-high (62 ft) glass and steel structure. Porta Susa is currently the international central station of the city (high speed trains to Paris) and it is becoming the central hub of railway transportation of the city, being the station in which local trains (so-called Ferrovie Metropolitane), national trains and high-speed national and international trains converge.

Close to Via Cernaia stands the Cittadella (Citadel), in the Andrea Guglielminetti garden. What remains of the old medieval and modern fortress of the city, it is a starting point for a tour into the old tunnels below the city.

Southeast of the city centre stands San Salvario district, which extends from Corso Vittorio Emanuele II to Corso Bramante and is delimited by the

on the west side and by the Po river on the east side. Home to an increasing immigrants' community, the district is an example of integration among different cultures; it also features an incremented nightlife after the opening of several low-cost bars and restaurants.

San Salvario is crossed by two main roads, Via Nizza and Via Madama Cristina, and just as the city centre it is characterised by the grid plan typical of Turin's old neighbourhoods. The hub of the district is Piazza Madama Cristina which hosts a big open market, while several commercial activities flourish around it.

The celebrated Parco del Valentino is situated in the east side of San Salvario and, albeit not in downtown, it represents kind of central park of Turin. Thanks to the vicinity to the city centre, the park is very popular among the local people, during the day but also at night, because of the several bars and nightclubs placed here. From the terraces of Parco del Valentino, many sights of the hills on the other side of the river can be appreciated.

In the centre of the park stands the Castello del Valentino, built in the 17th century. This castle has a horseshoe shape, with four rectangular towers, one at each angle, and a wide inner court with a marble pavement. The ceilings of the false upper floors are in transalpino (i.e. French) style. The façade sports the huge coat of arms of the House of Savoy. Today, Castello del Valentino serves as the faculty of Architecture of the Polytechnic University of Turin.

Another cluster of buildings in the park is the Borgo Medioevale (Medieval village), a replica of medieval mountain castles of Piedmont and Aosta Valley, built for the 1884 International Exhibition.

Other buildings in Corso Massimo d'Azeglio include the Torino Esposizioni complex (Turin's exhibition hall built in the 1930s) featuring a monumental entrance with a large full height porch, a main hall designed by Pier Luigi Nervi in reinforced concrete, and the Teatro Nuovo, a theatre mostly focused on ballet exhibitions. Another building is the largest synagogue of the city, in Piazzetta Primo Levi, a square. Its architecture stands in the main sight of the city, as characterised by four large towers – 27 m (89 ft) high – topped by four onion-shaped domes.

South of Centro stands the Crocetta district, considered one of the most exclusive districts of the city, because of highly rated residential buildings. At the heart of the district is the partially pedestrianised area crossed by Corso Trieste, Corso Trento and Corso Duca D'Aosta, plenty of some notable residential buildings in

, which was moved in the Southern part of the city.

North of this area stands the GAM (Galleria d'Arte Moderna), one of the two Museum of Modern Arts of the Turin Metro area (the second and largest one is hosted in Castello di Rivoli, a former Savoy royal castle in the suburbs). The museum stands in front a huge monument situated in the centre of the roundabout between Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and Corso Galileo Ferraris: the

.

West of this area, the main building of Polytechnic University of Turin stands along Corso Duca Degli Abruzzi. The 1958 building, a 122,000 m² (1,313,197 sq ft) complex, hosts approximately 30,000 students and is considered one of the major institutes of technology of the country – mainly due to the vocation of the city for the industrialisation, pushed by the automotive sector. This institute recently expanded in the western district of Cenisia with additional modern buildings.

Crocetta is crossed by large and modern avenues, such as Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, Corso Galileo Ferraris, and Corso Einaudi. These avenues feature long rows of trees, symbolic of Turin's typical urbanity. However, the most popular avenue is Corso De Gasperi, which, albeit smaller than other avenues of the district, hosts one of the most fashionable open markets of the city, the so-called Mercato della Crocetta, in which it is possible to find some discounted branded clothing among the more popular ones.

The Western border of Crocetta is instead an example of contemporary architecture. The huge avenue, made up of Corso Mediterraneo and Corso Castelfidardo, is part of Spina Centrale boulevard and was recently built over the old railway (now undergrounded): as a result, the avenue is very large (up to 60 m (200 ft)) and modern, having been rebuilt with valuable materials, including a characteristic lighting system supported by white high poles. This avenue hosts some examples of contemporary art, such as Mario Merz's Igloo fountain or the Per Kirkeby's Opera per Torino monument in Largo Orbassano.

The East side of the district is also known as Borgo San Secondo named after the church of the same name standing in Via San Secondo, a major street in the neighbourhood. This is near Porta Nuova railway station and is older than the rest of the district, featuring several apartment buildings from the late 19th century, to include the birthplace and home of author Primo Levi on Corso Re Umberto.^[34] A local open market is held in Piazza San Secondo and along Via Legnano. The market square also hosts the former washhouse and public baths of the neighbourhood, among the oldest examples of their kind in Turin (1905).

One of the main thoroughfares crossing Borgo San Secondo is Via Sacchi, which serves as an ideal gate to the city centre: its Serlian arcades on the west side of the street (the east side is enclosed by Porta Nuova railway station service buildings) host some significant boutiques and hotels, such as the historic Pfatisch pastry shop and the Turin Palace Hotel (totally refurbished and reopened in 2015). South of Via Sacchi, Ospedale Mauriziano is one of the ancient and major hospitals of the city. Going further southwards, it is possible to appreciate an interesting residential cluster of old public housing gravitating around Via Arquata.

power plant

Bordered by Corso Castelfidardo, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, Corso Trapani and Corso Peschiera, this small district is mainly significant for hosting the recent expansion of Turinese institute of technology Politecnico. The expansion was possible after under-grounding the railway under Corso Castelfidardo and the subsequent disposal of the old buildings dedicated to the train maintenance present in this area (so-called Officine Grandi Riparazioni or OGR). Politecnico expanded its facilities through two huge overpass buildings over the avenue, linked to new buildings on the west side. This cluster of buildings forms an evocative square with a unique architectural style. The main building on the west side hosts a General Motors research centre, the General Motors Global Propulsion Systems (formerly known as General Motors Powertrain Europe). Politecnico area extends until Via Boggio with further facilities hosted in the former OGR facilities. The institute plans to further build new facilities in the current parking area.

North of Politecnico facilities, the main building of the OGR former cluster, which consists in three 180-meters long joint parallel buildings, became recently a big open space which hosts temporary exhibitions and during the hot seasons, its external spaces became a fashionable site to have a typical Italian

.

North of OGR, a former prison complex called Le Nuove is a significant example of old European prison building. The complex was built between 1857 and 1869 during the reign of Victor Emmanuel II. After being disposed of during the 1990s, the complex was changed into a museum and it is possible to visit its facilities.

An example of contemporary art is the heating plant in Corso Ferrucci, which has been covered with aluminium panels. Another building (19th century), now abandoned, is the former

factory of train brakes situated in Via Borsellino.

The residential and business zone of the district sprawls westward, beyond the former – now demolished – customs wall (cinta daziaria), which previously separated the city from the mainly rural landscape that marked the outskirts of Turin until the late 19th century. Urban planning outside the local

along Corso Racconigi, which is locally known as the longest street market in Europe.

The smallest district of the city is Cit Turin ("Little Turin" in Piedmontese language). This small triangle surrounded by Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, Corso Francia and Corso Inghilterra hosts some high rated residential buildings and is regarded as a prestigious residential neighbourhood by local people.

The district features many buildings in

. Both buildings face Corso Francia.

The district is well known for its commercial vocation mainly in its two main streets, Via Duchessa Jolanda and Via Principi d'Acaja, ideally crossing each other among the gardens Giardino Luigi Martini, locally called Piazza Benefica, which hosts a popular open market.

The district is also characterised by two massive recent buildings: the Palazzo di Giustizia, Turin's new courthouse built in the 1990s (in a 350-metre-long facility), and the first real skyscraper of Turin, the

which house the headquarters of one of the major Italian private banks.

San Donato

San Donato district is between Corso Francia, Corso Lecce, Corso Potenza, Via Nole, the Parco Dora and Corso Principe Oddone. It was populated since the medieval era, but becomes bigger during the 19th century, prospering around the canal Canale di San Donato, which does not exist anymore, currently replaced by the central street of the district, Via San Donato. Buildings in the district are relatively recent (around 1820), except for the oldest group of small houses in the Brusachœr neighbourhood (Palazzo Forneris building) along Via Pacinotti near the small Piazza Paravia. The conservation of the street and of this old building influences the straightness of Via San Donato, which makes a slight curve to result in parallel with Via Pacinotti before ending in central Piazza Statuto square.

Main church of the district is the Chiesa di Nostra Signora del Suffragio e Santa Zita, which with its 83 m (272 ft) height of its bell tower, is well known to be the fifth tallest structure in the city of Turin, after the Mole Antonelliana, the Intesa-Sanpaolo skyscraper, the Torre Littoria and the two pennons of the Juventus Stadium. The church is hosting the Istituto Suore Minime di Nostra Signora del Suffragio and it was promoted and designed by Francesco Faà di Bruno. The legend says, that he wanted to build the tallest bell tower of the town and put a clock on the top, to all the poor people to know the time for free. The small building near the church is what remains of Casa Tartaglino, a small residential building which was also extended and modified by Faa di Bruno.

Villino Cibrario in Via Saccarelli is another significant building designed by Barnaba Panizza in 1842. The building was equipped with a large garden which was eliminated to host the street. The neighbourhood has a high concentration of historic buildings in Art Nouveau style designed by architect Pietro Fenoglio (among the others, the prestigious Villino Raby in Corso Francia 8). Other significant buildings are the Villa Boringhieri in Via San Donato, and other Art Nouveau and Neo-Gothic buildings are situated in Via Piffetti and Via Durandi.

Among the modern buildings of the district, the most significant one is, of course, the Torre BBPR Tower (which took the name from the architecture office who designed it). The building is representing the post-rationalism Italian architecture (same style of the better known Torre Velasca tower in the city of Milan). The tower is facing the central Piazza Statuto square. The district is crossed by some significant avenues: on Corso Svizzera, which crosses the district from North to South, faces the Business Centre Piero Della Francesca, where the offices of Tuttosport, one of the three national sports daily newspapers has its head offices. Also on Corso Svizzera, stands one of the oldest hospitals of the city, the Ospedale Amedeo di Savoia, specialised in infectious diseases. Other major avenues are Corso Umbria and Corso Tassoni.

Another big avenue, which borders the district on its East, is Corso Principe Oddone, which in the past was along the railway to Milan. Currently the railway has been under-grounded: the avenue will be enlarged and have same architecture style of southern Corso Inghilterra in downtown, becoming one of the major avenues of Turin. The northern part of the district was part of the former industrial district of Turin, recently reconverted to a park called Parco Dora. Mainly, in San Donato the portion reconverted was the one occupied by the plant of Michelin (west of Via Livorno) and Fiat ironwork plants (on the East). Differently for other portions of Parco Dora, this part has been totally reconverted to park without letting any evidence of the industrial area except for the cooling tower which stands along Corso Umbria and became a symbol of the park. Works are completed in the western area, where Corso Mortara has been closed to traffic and moved just a bit northern and covered by an artificial tunnel. It is possible to access the southern shore of the Dora river. South of the park, an interesting architecture of different levels is hosting a new shopping mall called Centro Commerciale Parco Dora. East of Via Livorno, works are still partially in progress, with the Dora river still to be uncovered by a big slab, on which the Fiat plants used to stand). West of Via Livorno, the Environment Park is a research centre for renewable energy.

Aurora is one of the most ancient districts which developed out of the medieval city walls, north of the historical city centre. It stretches from downtown northern boundaries in Corso Regina Margherita (an extended and important thoroughfare of Turin) up to Corso Vigevano and Corso Novara in the North Side (namely the old excise boundary until the early 20th century); the western boundary is Corso Principe Oddone (now part of the Spina Centrale boulevard) and the eastern border is the Dora river.

The district was named Aurora after the so-called Cascina Aurora, an old farmstead lying north of the Dora river, right at the intersection between Corso Giulio Cesare and Corso Emilia. The farmstead has long been demolished and the area has been converted to office buildings, hosting the Turinese textile company Gruppo Finanziario Tessile (GFT) headquarters until the early 21st century.

The historical hub of the district is Borgo Dora (The "Dora Borough"), a small neighbourhood next to Porta Palazzo and enclosed by Corso Regina Margherita, Via Cigna, the Dora river and Corso Giulio Cesare. Once known as Borgo del Pallone (literally "Ball Borough") or Balon in

, a clear allusion to the neighbourhood's old name Balon: recently installed, the balloon is open to public which can now take an interesting view of the city from this new high observation point.

Right at the borders of Borgo Dora stands part of Porta Palazzo open market which hosts the

. The building has replaced the Clothes Market, one of the four covered pavilions of Porta Palazzo market, but unfortunately, this glass green-shaded building has been highly criticized because of its lack of usability for commercial activities, albeit an example of contemporary architecture.

Another interesting building at the borders of the neighbourhood is Porta Milano (a.k.a. stazione della Ciriè-Lanzo), a former 19th-century railway station that marked the terminus of Ciriè-Lanzo railway line until the 1980s. To this day, the station is no longer in use as well as the rails up to Piazza Baldissera. The station building was recently renovated and now hosts some old locomotives, even though it is not open to the public. Unfortunately, the old rails crossing the district are totally disused and neglected, adding decay to the whole area.

Borgo Dora, as many other pockets of Aurora, is characterized by the marked multi-ethnicity of its population, being home to a large community of immigrants from emerging countries.

West of Borgo Dora stands Rione Valdocco ("Valdocco neighbourhood"), enclosed by Via Cigna, Corso Regina Margherita, Corso Principe Oddone and the Dora river. This neighbourhood hosts the significant architecture of Santuario di Maria Ausiliatrice ("Maria Ausiliatrice Sanctuary") in the homonymous square and behind the church stands San Pietro in Vincoli old cemetery.

Overall, the main thoroughfares of the West side of Aurora are Via Cigna, which crosses the district from North to South, Corso Vercelli, a historical avenue starting north of the Dora river, and Corso Principe Oddone, part of the long Spina Centrale boulevard that will be built over the underground

. However, the Spina Centrale project is proceeding slowly because of the lack of funds and the boulevard is still occupied by a large worksite along its span. Once completed, Aurora district will be connected to Eastern San Donato, thanks to a better connection among the roads of the two adjacent districts (i.e. Corso Ciriè will continue in Corso Gamba and Strada del Fortino in Corso Rosai).

As for the rest of Aurora, the district is crossed by an important thoroughfare named Corso Giulio Cesare, a long boulevard that extends from Porta Palazzo up to Turin-Trieste motorway entrance in the Northern urban fringe of Turin. Other significant roads are Corso Palermo, Via Bologna and Corso Regio Parco, mostly in the East side of Aurora which is known as Borgo Rossini ("Rossini Borough"). Albeit not a road, the Dora river is also a significant element for the whole district, since it completely crosses it from West to East.

The area north of the river features a mix of old residential buildings and remains of former factories and facilities from the 20th century. An example are the remains of Fiat Officine Grandi Motori (OGM) in Corso Vigevano, an old factory that produced big industrial and automotive Diesel engines, a sort of symbol of the industrial history of Turin. Another disused facility is Astanteria Martini ("Martini Emergency Department") in Via Cigna, a former emergency department from the 1920s which has been lying vacant since long.

As for the old residential buildings of the area, this part of Aurora hosts the oldest public housing block of the city, built by Istituto Autonomo Case Popolari (IACP) in 1908 in lieu of an old dilapidated small farm once known as Chiabotto delle Merle.

Despite its run-down look, the famous Lavazza coffee company, along with IAAD School of Design, chose this part of the city as the location for their new headquarters, which will be built in a contemporary building dubbed Nuvola ("Cloud") right at the borders of Borgo Rossini. Designed by the architect Gino Zucchi, this project is still a work in progress but excavations in the area revealed the remains of a medieval cemetery and an early Christian basilica; these findings will be preserved and will be shown to the public.

Borgo Rossini hosts a number of businesses, for instance, the

flagship store (Kappa is a noted Italian sportswear brand founded in Turin) and the Cineporto ("Cineport") a.k.a. La Casa dei Produttori ("The Filmmakers' House", which hosts the Turin Piedmont Film Commission Foundation).

Fetta Di Polenta

, northern side

Vanchiglia is bordered by Corso San Maurizio, Corso Regio Parco and the Po river, crossed also by the Dora Riparia river and by two big avenues, Corso Regina Margherita and Corso Tortona.

Borgo Vanchiglia is the historical district: a little triangle next to downtown, situated between Corso San Maurizio, Corso Regina Margherita and the Po river. The district is quite popular nowadays because being quite closer to the heart of Turin nightlife Piazza Vittorio Veneto, many bars and restaurants opened recently in this area. However, Vanchiglia also includes the area called Vanchiglietta, north of Borgo Vanchiglia.

Notable church in Borgo Vanchiglia is the French neo-Gothic Chiesa di Santa Giulia situated into Piazza Santa Giulia.

A notable and unusual building in the area is the so-called "

] The curious name comes from the shape of the palace, which resembles a "slice of polenta", and also because it is painted with an ocher colour.

In the surroundings, in Via Vanchiglia 8, (although in downtown and not really in Vanchiglia anymore) there is another trapezoid house, albeit with less extreme design: similarly, this building is nicknamed "Fetta di Formaggio" (cheese slice), built in 1832 for the rich Marchese Birago di Vische by the architect Antonio Talentino.

Other notable buildings are the town public baths, eclectic building built in 1905 (Corso Regina Margherita crossing Via Vanchiglia), and theTeatro della Caduta theatre, opened in 2003 in Via Michele Buniva 23, which with its 45 seats is the smallest theatre in Turin and among the smallest theatres in Europe.

In Corso Regina Margherita, another notable building is the former Opera pia Reynero, a charitable organization. The building was built in 1892. Being abandoned for a long time after it closed in 1996, it was then occupied by the Askatasuna Social Center, a non-profit anarchic organization, hosting since then various activities such as concerts, dinners, seminars and homeless solidarity initiatives.

North of Corso Regina Margherita, district is losing the flavour and architecture typical of Turin downtown, cause a significant portion of the district was formerly occupied by factories, nowadays partially abandoned or replaced by modern buildings. A significant example was the area occupied by gas companies between Corso Regina Margherita and the Dora river, which were partially demolished to make place to the new modern Faculty of Law building (Campus "Luigi Einaudi"), designed by the architect

. The area hosts also a student campus.

Next to the campus, a new cycling and pedestrian bridge on the Dora river was opened on 16 April 2010, linking the campus area to Corso Verona. Parco Colletta is a big park area touched by the two rivers of the district, which also hosts some sport facilities, mainly association football fields and a swimming pool.

The district is completed by the Cimitero Monumentale cemetery. This huge complex (formerly known as Cimitero Generale) is the largest cemetery in Turin, and among the first in Italy for the number of buried people (over 400,000). It is close to the Colletta park. The ancient part of the cemetery rises from the main entrance of Corso Novara with his octagonal shape. It contains numerous historical tombs and 12 km of arcades, enriched by artistic sculptures (that's why it is called a "monumental cemetery"). Over the years there have been subsequent extensions of the central historical body in the direction of the Colletta park. In the cemetery, there is a crematory temple built in 1882, one of the largest in Italy.

Chapel of the Holy Shroud

The

(1583) on Monte dei Cappuccini.

In the hills overlooking the city, the

Villas, parks and gardens

The most popular park in the city is

centenary), an important international exhibition (FLOR61: Flowers of the world in Turin) took place in the park with 800 exhibitors from 19 countries. For the occasion the plan for the new lighting of the park, along with its fountains and paths, was assigned to Guido Chiarelli, the head engineer at the city hall.

Other large parks are Parco della Pellerina, Parco Colletta, Parco Rignon, Parco Colonnetti and the

, built in 1715 and once the Royal Treasurer's residence. The park is in the Parella suburb (Turin's West Side) and hosts many concerts in summer.

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1901	329,691	—
1911	415,667	+26.1%
1921	499,823	+20.2%
1931	590,753	+18.2%
1936	629,115	+6.5%
1951	719,300	+14.3%
1961	1,025,822	+42.6%
1971	1,167,968	+13.9%
1981	1,117,154	−4.4%
1991	962,507	−13.8%
2001	865,263	−10.1%
2011	872,367	+0.8%
2021	848,748	−2.7%
Source: ISTAT

In 2009, the city proper had a population of about 910,000, which is a significant increase on the 2001 census figure. This result is due to a growing immigration from

Largest groups of foreign residents^[43]

Nationality	Population (2020)
Romania	49,644 (−1,590 units)
Morocco	16,808 (+212 units)
China	7,511 (+3 units)
Peru	7,195 (−76 units)
Nigeria	5,489 (+72 units)
Egypt	5,450 (+390 units)
Albania	5,360 (+15 units)
Philippines	3,778 (−23 units)
Moldova	3,331 (−244 units)
Bangladesh	1,949 (+213 units)
Senegal	1,901 (+84 units)
Brazil	1,698 (+6 unit)
Tunisia	1,258 (+45 units)
Iran	1,204 (+197 units)
Pakistan	1,198 (+62 units)
Algeria	1,173 (+16 units)
Ecuador	1,118 (−70 units)
other countries	each <1000

Economy

Turin developed as a Fordist city in the early twentieth century, which meant a shift from a service-based economy to an industry-based one.^[44] In the vein of many Fordist economies Turin's economy relies heavily upon its automotive and aerospace industries.^[45][46] Despite the general decline of the automotive industry since the oil crisis of 1973, the city still relies heavily upon its automotive industry. Since before the second world war, the automotive industry has been the largest employer in the city, and almost all exports from Turin are manufactured goods.^[45][47] The city serves as the headquarters to Fiat (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino; Turin Italian Automobiles Factory), which has since been absorbed by its parent company, the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group (now Stellantis) headquartered in Amsterdam, the eighth largest automotive company in the world.^[48] Turin is still home to a sizeable Fiat factory.^[49]

From the 1980s, Turin diversified its economy and is shifting back towards a service economy. Tech and innovation industries are booming in Turin, which was ranked third in number of innovative startups and firms in the information-tech sector, and has some of the most patent applications to the

.

Other companies operating in Turin are

.

The city is also well known for its

Leonardo

(30%).

Culture

Visual art and museums

Turin, as the former capital of the

The

Other museums include the

.

After it had been little more than a town for a long time, in 1559 the Duke Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy made Turin the capital of his domains. The Duke had the ambition to transform the city into a major artistic and cultural capital, and in the following centuries numerous artists were to work at the Savoy court, especially architects and planners like Carlo di Castellamonte and his son Amedeo, Guarino Guarini and, in the 18th century, Filippo Juvarra and Benedetto Alfieri.

As for the painting and the visual arts, Turin became a point of reference, especially in the 20th century. In the 1920s, the painter

.

Music

The city's main opera house is

It was burned down in 1936 and was rebuilt after World War II. On 8 October 2021, the

Literature

A literary centre for many centuries, Turin began to attract writers only after the establishment of the court of the Dukes of Savoy. One of the most famous writers of the 17th century was Giambattista Marino, which in 1608 moved to the court of Charles Emmanuel I. Marino suffered an assassination attempt by a rival, Gaspare Murtola, and was later imprisoned for a year because of gossip that he had said and written against the duke. Perhaps, because of this, in 1615 Marino left Turin and moved to France.

The main literary figures during the Baroque age in Turin were Emanuele Tesauro and Alessandro Tassoni. In the next century Torino hosted the poet Vittorio Alfieri from Asti for a while. The situation was very different in the 19th century, especially since the city became a point of reference for Italian unification and, subsequently, the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. Indeed, in those years Tommaseo, Settembrini and John Meadows resided in the city. A major literary and cultural woman of that time was Olimpia Savio. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Turin was home to writers such as Guido Gozzano, Edmondo De Amicis, Emilio Salgari and Dino Segre, the latter known by the pseudonym of Pitigrilli.

Turin had a very important role in Italian literature after World War II. A major publishing house, Giulio Einaudi, published works by authors such as Cesare Pavese, Italo Calvino, Vitaliano Brancati, Primo Levi, Natalia Ginzburg, Fernanda Pivano, Beppe Fenoglio, Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lucentini. In more recent years, writers active in the city are Giovanni Arpino, Nico Orengo, Giuseppe Culicchia, Margherita Oggero, Laura Mancinelli, Alessandra Montrucchio, Alessandro Perissinotto, Guido Quartz, Piero Soria and Alessandro Baricco. Baricco was also among the founders of the Scuola Holden, dedicated to writing techniques teaching.

In the local Piedmontese language has a literary tradition, with names such as Nicoletto da Torino, Ignas Isler, author of epic poems, and Eduard Calv.

The city is home to the well-known

.

Turin had an Astronomical observatory where was active Giovanni Plana. The scientist Amedeo Avogadro worked as a professor in Turin. The professor of Turin University Galileo Ferraris discovered the principle under electric motor during the 19 century.

In modern times, Turin hosted the CSELT telco laboratory.

After

has had a production centre in Turin since 1954.

Sports

The city has a rich sporting heritage as the home to two historically significant football teams:

Juventus is

Serie A

titles since its inception in 2017, becoming one of the most winning teams in the country.

Torino F.C. was founded by the union of one of the oldest football teams in Turin,

, used for games of the youth teams and trainings of the first squad, and seat of the team museum.

The city hosted the final stages of the EuroBasket 1979. The most important basketball club team is the Auxilium Torino, refounded in 2009, playing in the Italian LBA. In 2018 Auxilium Torino went to win its first Italian Basketball Cup ever.^[63] Turin hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics in February 2006. Turin is the largest city to have ever hosted a Winter Olympics, and was the largest metropolitan area to host them at the time.^[64][65][66] The city was awarded with the title of European Capital of Sport 2015.^[67] The candidature sees the city strongly committed to increasing sports activities.^[68][69] The city hosts the ATP Finals tennis event from 2021 to 2025.^[70] Turin will host the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games.^[71]

Turin is the Italian city where film

By the start of the 20th century (especially after 1907), a number of the first Italian films were aired in Turin. Examples include Giovanni Pastrone Cabiria, in 1914, one of the first blockbusters in history.

The Turin-based company Ambrosio Film, established in 1906 by Arturo Ambrosio, was one of the leading forces in Italian cinema and boosted the importance of the city as a filmmaking destination. The company, noted in particular for its historical epics, produced a large number of films until it was dissolved in 1924.

During the 1920s and 30s, Turin hosted a number of film productions and major film studios (film houses), such as the

was inaugurated in Rome.

After World War II, the cinematic scene in Turin continued to thrive. 1956 saw the opening of the National Museum of Cinema, first housed in the Palazzo Chiablese and then, from 2000, in the imposing headquarters of the Mole Antonelliana. In 1982 the film critic Gianni Rondolino created Festival Internazionale Cinema Giovani,^[76] which later became the Torino Film Festival.

Today Turin is one of the main cinematographic and television centres in Italy, thanks to the role of the Turin Film Commission that reports the production of many feature films, soap operas and commercials.

Turin streets were the locations where Audrey Hepburn played War and Peace, Michael Caine drove a Mini Cooper in The Italian Job, Claudio Bisio becomes the president of the Italian Republic, Carlo Verdone set his version of Cinderella, Marco Tullio Giordana shot Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy, Woody Allen shot Hannah and Her Sisters, Cate Blanchett played Heaven, Giovanna Mezzogiorno Vincere, Marcello Mastroianni and Jacqueline Bisset The Sunday Woman, and Harvey Keitel The Stone Merchant. Turin also became the capital of the tsar for The Demons of St. Petersberg.

Turin is well known for its chocolate production, especially for its traditional, ingot-shaped chocolate called

.

Aperitivo

As for

Local cuisine also features a particular type of pizza, so-called pizza al padellino or pizza al tegamino, which is basically a small-sized, thick-crust and deep-dish pizza typically served in several Turin pizza places.^[80][81][82]

Since the mid-1980s, Piedmont has also benefited from the start of the Slow Food movement and Terra Madre, events that have highlighted the rich agricultural and vinicultural value of the Po Valley and Northern Italy.

Turin is home to one of Italy's oldest universities, the

.

Transport

Porta Susa

railway station

The city currently has a large number of rail and road work sites. Although this activity has increased as a result of the 2006 Winter Olympics, parts of it had long been planned. Some of the work sites deal with general roadworks to improve traffic flow, such as underpasses and flyovers, but two projects are of major importance and will radically change the shape of the city.

One is the Spina Centrale ("Central Spine") project which includes the doubling of a major railway crossing the city, the

railway stations, though not all of them belong to the layout of the Spina Centrale.

The other major project is the construction of a subway line based on the VAL system, known as Metrotorino. This project is expected to continue for years and to cover a larger part of the city, but its first phase was finished in time for the 2006 Olympic Games, inaugurated on 4 February 2006 and opened to the public the day after. The first leg of the subway system linked the nearby town of Collegno with Porta Susa in Turin's city centre. On 4 October 2007, the line was extended to Porta Nuova and then, in March 2011, to Lingotto. A new extension of the so-called Linea 1 ("Line 1") is expected in the near future, reaching both Rivoli (up to Cascine Vica hamlet) in the Western belt of Turin and Piazza Bengasi in the Southeast side of the city. Furthermore, a Linea 2 is in the pipeline that will connect the south-western district of Mirafiori with Barriera di Milano in the north end. In June 2018, the project entered the public consultation phase with the proposed list of 23 stations published on the city's website.^[83]

Turin Caselle International Airport

The main street in the city centre, Via Roma, runs atop a tunnel built during the fascist era (when Via Roma itself was totally refurbished and took on its present-day aspect). The tunnel was supposed to host the underground line, but it is now used as an underground car park. A project to build an underground system was ready in the 1970s, with government funding for it and for similar projects in Milan and Rome. Whilst the other two cities went ahead with the projects, Turin's local government led by mayor Diego Novelli shelved the proposal as it believed it to be too costly and unnecessary.

The city has an international airport known as

, about 13 km (8 mi) from Turin's centre—connected to the city by rail (from Dora Station) and bus (from Porta Nuova and Porta Susa railway stations).

From 2010 to 2023 a

, was operational.

The metropolitan area is served by

Turin metropolitan railway service

.

Central districts are served by tram, lines 3,4,9 are light rail.

The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Turin (for example, to and from work) on a weekday is 65 minutes. 14% of public transit riders ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average time spent waiting at a stop or station for public transit is 14 minutes, while 19% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 5.9 km (3.7 mi), while 9% travel more than 12 km (7.5 mi) in a single direction.^[84]

Turin is twinned with:^[85]

The sixth district of Turin is twinned with:^[86]

• Bagneux, France

Turin also cooperates with:^[85]

• Art Nouveau in Turin
• Outline of Turin
• 512 Taurinensis

Bibliography

See also: Bibliography of the history of Turin

External links

Media related to Turin at Wikimedia Commons

Wikiquote has quotations related to Turin.

• City of Turin Official website, tourist informations
• Weather Turin
• How to reach Turin?
• Turin Museums
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Benigni, Umberto (1912). "Turin". Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15.
• Turin travel guide from Wikivoyage

Preceded by Rotterdam (2020/2021)

Eurovision Song Contest host city 2022

Succeeded by Liverpool (2023)