Turin & links

Beautiful Torino!!! What can I visit in Torino?

Historical sketches

The history of Turin began during the III sec. A.C. when the first "taurine" tribes, looking for fertile lands, settled down on the Po riverside.

During the Roman expansion Turin was theatre of wars, reconciliations and alliances, until the foundation, under Julius Caesar, of a military outpost. It was called Augusta Taurinorum (29 - 28 A.C.).

As a main route to occidental Alpes, after the Roman fall, Torino underwent Goths', Francs' and Lombard' dominium, followed by the long Savoy settlement during which Savoy family emerged among the emperor, bishops, feudatory and organs of the growing municipality. Under Savoy dominium Turin reached the rank of capital.

In 1629 Carlo Emanuele I started the first expansion of Turin, which confered this town the structure we still appleciate today. It was also a lively time for art and culture. The city gained the shape of a severe capital town with elegant palaces.

The XIX century brought Turin to be the capital of the Kingdom of Italy followed by a growing industrial vocation.

Thanks to its history Turin shows a strong dichotomy between architecture-art-luxury and its proletarian soul, which makes the city alive and active from several points of view.

About Torino

Visit the official tourism site of Turin and its province: www.turismotorino.org

Turin continues to be a centre of European and international culture...

A wide array of styles, forms and languages disclose the city of monuments, royal palaces, churches, spirituality, events, music, galleries, cinema and literature...
From the Royal Palace to the Church of Consolata, the Regio Teathre and the National Museum of Cinema, the cultural itineraries are countless, and never predictable. And there's an infinite choice of attractions outside the city as well: in Rivoli Castle whose Baroque rooms host the Museum of Contemporary Art; in Canavese where the castles of Aglie and Masino are gems of post-Renaissance architecture surrounded by beautiful gardens; in the Susa and Chisone Valleys where there are the ancient fortresses of Fenestrelle and Exilles that barred the way to the Alpine passes. Alternatively there is a very special itinerary taking in abbeys, monasteries and sacred mounts: starting with the Basilica of Superga, on Turin's hills, and the Saint Michael's Abbey at the mouth of the Susa Valley, some of Piedmont's symbols recognised all over the world.

In Turin and its province you are sure to be entranced by... the harmony ofunspoilt mountain landscapes surrounding exceptional towns, aristocratic Royal Residences, futuristic architecture alongside breathtaking nature, ancient flavours and international events. Hushed paths leading to castles and fortresses create a unique atmosphere where history can be relived in the shadow of the gentle hills and green nature parks. To those who opt for carefree holidays or weekend trips, Turin's province offers an impressively varied and fascinating wealth of art and environmental treasures ranging from ancient hamlets to eco-museums, archaeological sites, the Waldensian places of worship, and religious architecture in the grand style. And then of course there are all the winter and summer sports and activities that can be practiced everywhere, along the River Po, on the high plains covered in woods and vineyards and among the spectacular mountains surrounding. Here, in every season, the rich variety of landscapes and the very many cultural events and local traditions surprise visitors.
A whole universe just a clik away, to be explored area by area.

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