piedmont

June 19, 2020

Tower observatory of the Turin Cathedral

The Turin Cathedral (Duomo di Torino or Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista) is a church in Turin built at the end of the 15th century. It hosted the Shroud of Turin from 1578, when it was moved from the Holy Chapel (Sainte Chapelle) in Chambéry, to 1649, when the Chapel of the Holy Shroud (Cappella della Sacra Sindone) next door was completed. It currently hosts it again since the fire of the chapel in 1997.

The cathedral has a bell tower (Torre campanaria), separate from the main body, which can be visited. It is quite high (63 m) and offers a great view on the city of Turin and the surrounding mountains. Tickets can be purchased at the entrance of the Diocesan Museum of Turin (Museo Diocesano di Torino), on the other side of the cathedral from the tower. After that, there is an underground passage to reach the tower then stairs to get to the top.

June 9, 2020

Avigliana

After visiting Susa, I stopped in Avigliana on the way back to Turin: It is a town located at the mouth of the Susa Valley, half-way between Susa and Turin. It has a medieval town (Borgo Vecchio) which still retains some buildings of that era and is overlooked by a castle in ruins (Castello di Avigliana), with a great view on the Medieval Town, the Susa Valley, the surrounding mountains and the Avigliana Lakes Natural Park.

May 31, 2020

Susa

While staying in Turin, I also made a short trip to Susa, a town located towards the border with France. Susa is right below the mountains so it was a nice change of scenery from the city. During Roman and medieval times, the town was the main entry point into Italy from France and still has many ancient historical buildings.

I went there early in the morning, taking one of the frequent trains running from Porta Nuova in Turin, and strolled around for a few hours.

May 15, 2020

Parco Italia '61

Parco Italia ‘61 is a park in the Lingotto area of Turin, not far from the Po river. It is built on the location of Expo 61, the international labour exhibition held in 1961. Italy expanded the event with an exposition celebrating the centennial of Italian unity and the Expo is remembered as Italia ‘61. The park is split in 2 parts, Giardino Corpo Italiano di Liberazione and Giardino Giuseppe Levi, separated by the Palavela, a building that was used during the Torino 2006 Winter Olympics.

May 10, 2020

Synagogue of Turin

The Grand Synagogue, also known as Israelite Temple (Tempio Israelitico), is a jewish place of worship located in the city of Turin. It was initially built at the end of the 19th century in a neo-moorish style, then rebuilt after WW2.

May 9, 2020

Royal Palace of Turin

The Royal Palace of Turin (Palazzo Reale) is a historic palace of the House of Savoy in Turin. It was originally built in the 16th century, after the dukes of Savoy moved their capital from Chambéry, and was modernized in the 17th century. It served as the seat of power for the dukes of Savoy and later, kings of Sardinia and Italy. The palace also includes the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, which was built to house the Shroud of Turin, as well as the Galleria Sabauda, which contains a large art collection.

May 3, 2020

Sunset at Monte dei Cappuccini

The Church of Santa Maria al Monte dei Cappuccini is built on a hill overlooking the river Po in Turin. That hill has a great view on the city and is a popular place to watch the sunset.

April 30, 2020

Train stations of Turin: Porta Susa / Porta Nuova

Turin has a few train stations. The two busiest ones are Porta Nuova and Porta Susa, both located in the city center. Their names come from that of the city gates that used to stand near their locations (only the Porta Palatina gate remains today).

April 29, 2020

Chiesa del Santo Volto

The Chiesa del Santo Volto (Church of the Holy Face) is a catholic church located in Turin, next to Parco Dora. It was built in 2006 based on designs by architect Mario Botta.

April 28, 2020

Parco Dora

Parco Dora is a large park in Turin designed by Latz+Partner and built on a former industrial wasteland, occupied in the past by factories that shut down in the 80’s. Its construction was part of an urban renewal programme launched in the late 90’s. The park was completed in 2012.

The park is characterized by its industrial past and spatially defined by the river Dora, by main traffic arteries and relatively new residential quarters. Corresponding to the former property lines the park has five separate areas whose functional differences and aesthetic impact are based on the quality of the industrial remains. Bridges, stairs and ramps connect the different parts of the park with each other and with the surrounding quarters.