Lively and elegant, always on the move, incredibly, Torino is a city immersed in greenery, with over 300 km of tree-lined avenues and countless parks: gently leaning against the hills and embraced by the Po, it owes much of its charm to its enchanting geographical position at the foot of the western Alps.
Torino is an aristocratic “old lady” more than two thousand years old, whose vestiges are still visible in “her” main monuments, streets, squares and underground… an “old lady” reborn out of “her” own ashes, more dynamic, innovative and modern than ever but always proud of “her” great past.
The first capital of Italia invites you to discover its ancient and modern history, the Royal Residences, the palaces and museums, the parks and tree-lined avenues, the river and the mountains, the historic restaurants and cafes, the long arcaded streets and the multiethnic neighborhoods, the great events and the many small pleasures that have always made it unique, in a harmonious balance among the rational Roman urban planning, the moderate splendor of the Piemonte baroque and the originality of modern and contemporary architecture.
Torino must be discovered slowly, step by step, even by walking through streets and squares looking all around you, even upwards, and above all, the city has to be lived. For this reason, there are some things that are absolute “must-dos”, “must-sees” and “must-tastes”.
History
The city of Turin was founded about 2400 years ago by the Taurini – Celtic tribe. The name of the city itself – Turin, or Torino in Italian – comes from Celtic tau, which means mountain. The tribe of the Taurini conquered vast territories of France and Spain and then moved to the territory of modern Italy. In modern Italian the word torino means “little bull”, and the bull is still part of the Turin city flag.
Roman times
Roman times TorinoTurin was almost totally destroyed by Hannibal during his Alpine campaign, but in the 1st ct. A.D. it was rebuilt by the Romans. They created a military camp there known as Castra Taurinorum. In 28 A.D. the city was renamed to Augusta Taurinorum as it was dedicated to the emperor Augustus. The number of the city’s inhabitants at that time reached 5,000. Modern Turin still shows remains of the ancient Roman street grid. The square plan of the city itself is part of the ancient Roman ancestry.
Middle ages
When the Roman Empire came to fall, the city of Turin was conquered by barbarian tribes – Lombards, Goths and eventually in 773 by Franks of Charlemagne. In 940s the Contea di Torino (the countship of Turin) was founded by the Arduinic dynasty. In 11th ct. the Counts of Savoy too control over the city. In 1230 to 1235 Turin was ruled by the Marquess of Montferrat – the Lord of Turin. Finally, at the end of 13th ct., Turin was conquered by the House of Savoy. The city had about 20,000 inhabitants at that time.
The 15th ct. was the time when many of the Turin’s greatest palaces and gardens were built. It is also the time the University of Turin was established.
16th-18th Century
Map Torino 1674In 1563 Turin became the capital of the Duchy of Savoy governed by Emanuele Filiberto the Iron Head. At that time Piazza Reale (modern Piazza San Carlo) and Via Nuova (modern Via Roma) were added to the city and the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) was built. The city walls were enlarged. During Emanuele Filiberto’s rule the order of the Knights of St. Maurice was established and the Sacred Shroud of Turin bearing the likeness of Christ, one of the greatest Christian relics, was brought to the city.
In 1706 Turin was besieged by the French army for 117 days during the battle of Turin, but wasn’t conquered. When the Treaty of Utrecht was signed, the Duchy of Savoy annexed the Kingdom of Sardinia. Turin became the capital of the kingdom and counted about 90,000 inhabitants.
19th Century
Torino 19 centuryIn 1802, together with the rest of Piedmont, Turin was annexed by France. Until the fall of Napoleon in 1814 Turin was part of the prefecture of the Pô department. After 1814 the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia with Turin as capital was restored and the process of unification of Italy began.
After the Fréjus tunnel was opened in 1871, Turin became an important communication point between Italy and France. The city already counted about 250,000 inhabitants. In 1861 Turin was proclaimed capital of the United Italy, but in 1865 the capital moved to Florence and, eventually, to Rome in 1871. During this period Italy was ruled by the House of Savoy, namely King Vittorio Emanuele II.
The process of industrialization began in Turin with founding Fiat (1899) and Lancia (1906). Turin was the host of the Universal Exposition in 1902 and 1911. The city had about 430,000 inhabitants. Some of the city’s most prominent landmarks were built in the second part of the 19th ct.
20th Century
Torino before WW2 Until Benito Mussolini became the ruler of Italy, it was controlled by the House of Savoy. It was right when Turin became a large industrial center due to its automotive industry. It is even called “the Automobile Capital of Italy.” Fiat is still one of the world’s great car companies based in Turin.
During the World War II Turin became target for strategic bombing by the Allies as it was a large strategic point due to its industry, especially automotive industry – Fiat produced automobiles and tanks for the Fascist and Nazist army. The city was heavily damaged.
Turin was captured in the end of Spring Offensive of 1945, but at that tine the city was already free form the Nazis. The first units to enter the city were of Brazilian Expeditionary Force. These were followed by Americans.
After the end of World War II Turin was rebuilt and saw rapid development in 1950s and 1960s. The rapid industrial development caused the great influx of immigrants from the other regions of Italy, specifically from the south. In 1960 the population of Turin reached 1 million and in 1971 it already counted 1.2 million people. The decline of the population in Turin took place in 1970s-1980s with the crisis of automotive industry.
21st Century
Torino Winter Olimpiade 2006The demographic situation began to improve in the recent years. The population of the city grew from 865,00 to about 900,000. 2006 was the year of the Turin Winter Olympiad.
Architecture
Great architectural works from the past and present co-exist in Torino (video). Buildings designed by great architects who marked the transformation begun in the 1990’s (accelerated by the XX Olympic Winter Games 2006), familiarizing the entire world with a more beautiful, modern, receptive and better equipped city are added to masterpieces from the Baroque and Liberty period.The most ancient sign is that of Porta Palatina, proof of the Roman settlement of Augusta Taurinorum, which has now regained its splendour thanks the project of the Parco Archeologico that hosts remote Roman finds.
Baroque Torino
Included for centuries in the “checkerboard” perimeter of Roman origin – that distinguishes the city’s centre to this day – Torino experienced a period of great splendour from the 17th century on, thanks to the commitment of the House of Savoy who called upon the most important architects of the time to embellish their city. This is why renowned masters such as Ascanio Vitozzi, Carlo and Amedeo di Castellamonte, Guarino Guarini, Filippo Juvarra and Benedetto Alfieri arrived in Torino.
The Baroque age endowed the city with jewels of great splendour, beginning with the churches and the Chapel of the Holy Shroud – Guarino Guarini’s Baroque masterpiece – along with the Chiesa di San Lorenzo (church) and the Santuario della Consolata (sanctuary). The Baroque style also identified that of some of the old town centre’s best known streets and piazzas such as via Po, piazza Castello and piazza San Carlo. The core of Torino’s Baroque system is the “Corona delle Delizie” (crown of delights): a circuit of 15 Royal Residences – located in the city, the suburbs and throughout the Piemonte region – declared “World Heritage Sites” in 1997.
The residences located in the city are the Palazzo Reale (royal palace), the Savoy residence until 1865, Palazzo Madama, home of the Museo di Arte Antica (museum of ancient art) and Palazzo Carignano, headquarters of the Parlamento Subalpino as well as that of Italy’s first Parliament after the National Unification. Outside city limits: the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi (hunting lodge), the Reggia di Venaria Reale (palace) and the Castello di Rivoli (castle). The castle was designed by Juvarra in the 18th century, inspired by Versailles and connected to the Basilica di Superga by a 20-kilometre long axis, also designed by the architect from Messina.
19th and 20th centuries
The city discovered new suggestions during the 19th and 20th centuries. The piazza Vittorio Veneto, Europe’s largest porticoed area – previously named after Vittorio Emanuele I – was built along the riverbanks of the Po. On the other side of the river, the Basilica della Gran Madre di Dio, the neo-classic temple inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, was built. Art Nouveau was born and Alessandro Antonelli erected the building destined to become the symbol of the city: the Mole Antonelliana. Built between 1863 and 1889 and 167.5 metres high, it is now the home of the Museo Nazionale del Cinema (National Museum of Cinema).
In the 1920’s and 30’s, the central via Roma was built as well as the Lingotto FIAT car factory, designed by Giacomo Matté Trucco in Rationalist style. The factory is now one of Italy’s main multifunctional centres thanks to Renzo Piano’s renovation. The Galleria d’Arte Moderna (Modern Art Gallery) came along in the 1960’s along with the Museo dell’Automobile (Automobile Museum), the Palazzo del Lavoro and Torino Esposizioni (both designed by Pier Luigi Nervi), the PalaVela and the Teatro Regio that was rebuilt after the fire in 1929 by Carlo Mollino as well as other creations by such names as Aldo Rossi, Roberto Gabetti and Aimaro Isola.
Contemporary Torino
The architectural development of the city began in the 1970’s, setting the pace for its current transformation: that of the new, avant-garde infrastructures constructed for the occasion of the Olympics such as the Palasport (designed by Arata Isozaki and Pier Paolo Maggiora), the Oval (designed by the Hok Sport architectural firm and Studio Zoppini) and the Palavela (reinterpreted by Gae Aulenti and Arnaldo De Bernardi).
There’s more: the covered market in piazza della Repubblica (designed by Massimiliano Fuksas), the University facility for the Liberal Arts Department (designed by Norman Foster), the new Railway Station of Porta Susa (by Gruppo Arep) and the Chiesa del Santo Volto (designed by Mario Botta). These and other buildings that are the result of reconstruction projects of historical or industrial buildings no longer in use are only some examples of how the city is changing thanks to great names in architecture.