Italy’s first capital, Turin, is
a city of elegant porticos, grand piazzas, historic coffeehouses and cultural
treasures which will charm any visitor who decides to spend a few days here.
Friendly and welcoming, it seems a place highly under-rated, and you certainly
don’t have to look far to find the best of its galleries and museums.
1) Museo
Nazionale del Cinema
First up is a real treat for any
cinema buff and you can spend literally hours wandering through the darkened
themed rooms, watching film clips, reclining in the lounge area surrounded by
screens, learning about the history, practitioners and technology of the silver
screen. It is open until 11pm on Saturdays, is currently hosting a fantastic
special Scorcese exhibition until September, and allows you to whiz up to the
top of the Mole Antonelliana tower courtesy of a glass panoramic lift suspended
only by cables, to reach an unparalleled vista of Turin’s rooftops and
landmarks.
2) Museo
Egizia
Opened in 1824, this stunning
museum houses the most significant collection of Egyptian treasures outside of
Cairo. Wander through rooms containing papyrus scrolls, hieroglyphics, bandaged
(and unbandaged) mummies of humans (and crocodiles!), beautifully painted
sarcophagi, and then descend downstairs into rooms containing an impressive
array of Egyptian statuary ranging from Ramesses II to items found in the tomb
of Kha and Merit. Pause face to face with the Sphinx, and you will certainly
find it hard to believe you are in the Italian city of Turin. If there is a
queue to get in initially, simply return at lunchtime!
3) Pinacoteca
Giovanni e Marella Agnelli
Take the metro down to Lingotto,
and high on the roof of Turin’s former Fiat factory (Lingotto Fiere) you will
find suspended a capsule-like art gallery designed by world renowned architect
Renzo Piano. The collection is small but exquisite with a number of memorable
works by Canaletto and matisse on display. Afterwards, be sure to find on the
same site Eataly – the supermarket of the Slow Food Movement which has in-house
cafes and restaurants for a memorable lunch washed down by a glass of Barolo
wine.
4) GAM
- Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea
Next, take the metro to
Vinzaglio, and a short walk through a quiet, leafy neighbourhood of impressive
villas will bring you to Turin’s gallery of modern art. On display you will
find works by 19th and 20th century artists selected from
the 45,000 works held in storage. The gallery also hosts temporary exhibitions
and currently you can view the bright and colourful works by Nicola de Maria.
5) Palazzo
Reale
Built for Carlo Emanuele II in
1646 in the heart of Turin on Piazza Castello, you can first wander through the
lavish gilt-encrusted State Apartment rooms, and when sufficiently dazzled by
all that gold and red velvet wall-hangings, turn your attention to the
temporary exhibition space. Currently there is a very striking exhibition of
photography by Robert Capa.
There are many more interesting
galleries and museums to visit, and I would highly recommend buying the Torino
and Piedmont Card (2/5/7 days – 34 Euros for 5 days) as this guarantees free
entry to all museums, galleries and temporary exhibitions as well as the Mole
glass lift, boats on the River Po, and the Superga cable car. Other museums of
note include Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano which traces Italy’s
turbulent path towards Unification, and the Museo della Sindone which traces
the fascinating history of the Turin Shroud which you can then view at the
Cathedral (Duomo di San Giovanni). After all that culture there are plenty of
ways to relax in Turin – a boat ride along the River Po, an aperitivo at one of
the bars in the Quadrilatero Romano neighbourhood, a coffee at one of the
chanderliered cafes……Enjoy!
