A simple itinerary with everything you shouldn’t miss on a first visit to Turin, starting from its center.
A walk through elegant arcades, suggestive galleries, important museums, refined squares and sumptuous palaces, the center of Turin is compact, full of pedestrian areas and easily visited on foot.
In this itinerary, we will reveal everything you absolutely cannot miss in a visit to the historic center of Turin: from Piazza Castello, the beating heart of the city, to Palazzo Madama, a building that contains two thousand years of history. We will lead you to the discovery of Palazzo Reale, the ancient residence of the Savoy, and the Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista (Turin Cathedral), where the mysterious Holy Shroud is kept.
If you include a visit to the Egyptian Museum and the Royal Museums in your walk, it will take you a day.
Let’s start our itinerary of the main things to see in the historic center of Turin.
Porta Nuova and Piazza Carlo Felice
Our day discovering the center of Turin begins at the train station of Porta Nuova, a convenient starting point, where the subway also stops. After admiring the facade of the station, with its very high arches and large windows, move under the arcades of Piazza Carlo Felice. Along the way, look at the windows of the Giordano and Avvignano confectioneries or the Caffè Roma (formerly Talmone). In this square we also find the Hotel Roma: here, room number 346, Cesare Pavese lived and died.
For the little visitors, a visit to the Lego Store on the corner of Via Roma is a must.
Via Roma
Continuing under the arcades, we enter Via Roma. If you look at the end you will see the Royal Palace, in Piazza Castello. Built during the Fascist period, Via Roma is characterized by elegant rationalist architecture with arcades on both sides, which house high fashion shops, boutiques and mega stores. The street is an important center of Turin shopping.
Halfway along Via Roma you arrive in Piazza CLN, characterized by the fountains of the Po and the Dora, two of the three rivers that bathe Turin. Dario Argento shot his Profondo Rosso here.
Piazza San Carlo
After passing the “twin churches” of San Carlo and Santa Cristina (the latter with the facade by Filippo Juvarra) enter the “living room of Turin“, Piazza San Carlo. Considered one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, it has at its center the equestrian monument to Emanuele Filiberto, who returns victorious from the battle of San Quintino in 1557: it is the monument that the Turinese call, in dialect, ‘l caval ‘d brôns (“the bronze horse”). Along the elegant arcades you will find some of the most famous historical places in the city, such as the luxurious Caffè Torino and Caffè San Carlo. Look for the bronze bull in front of the Caffè Torino: tradition has it that stepping on the attributes of the bull brings good luck. Also under the arcades on the left side, look into the atrium of the Gallerie d’Italia, the museum dedicated to photography (Turin has two, the other is Camera) located in the premises of the Intesa Sanpaolo bank.
Curiosities
If you carefully observe the elegant facades of the square, you will see some cannonballs, stuck in the walls since the eighteenth century. There are still several in the city, most of them date back to the sieges of the 1700s.
Cross the square and reach the arcades on the opposite side: you will find the delicious windows of the Stratta pastry shop and the San Carlo luxury shop since 1973. Enter the courtyard and you will notice another curiosity: the upside-down head of Michelangelo’s David.
After passing the courtyard you will come out in Via Lagrange
Via Lagrange
Along this elegant pedestrian street you can admire the windows of the big names and department stores such as Eataly and Rinascente. On the corner with via Maria Vittoria you will find Guido Gobino, master chocolatier known for his gianduiotti. A few steps further on you will find the Egyptian Museum, the most visited museum in Turin.
Piazza Carignano and Palazzo Carignano
Continuing along via Lagrange you will arrive in Piazza Carignano, one of the most beautiful and intimate corners of Turin: on the left the Teatro Carignano, the historic starred Ristorante del Cambio, the Farmacia del Cambio (known for its cubic croissants) and the Pepino ice cream parlor (here was invented the ice cream on a stick, the Penguin). At the center, the statue of Vincenzo Gioberti, protagonist of the Italian Risorgimento.
On the right Palazzo Carignano, characterized by the imposing and lively baroque facade and the majestic atrium with an elliptical plan of Palazzo Carignano designed by Guarino Guarini, author of the most extraordinary baroque buildings in Turin. The Palace housed the Chamber of Deputies of the Kingdom of Sardinia (Subalpine Parliament) and saw the birth of Carlo Alberto and his son Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy. Today it houses the National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento, which preserves relics and testimonies of characters such as Camillo Benso Count of Cavour, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Silvio Pellico, Massimo D’Azeglio, Cesare Balbo and Vincenzo Gioberti.
Crossing the courtyard of Palazzo Carignano, you will arrive in piazza Carlo Alberto, another elegant square in Turin where in the late nineteenth century lived the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who loved Turin madly.
Galleria Subalpina
From Piazza Carlo Alberto, enter this very refined gallery, an elegant hall fifty meters long with a glass and wrought iron vault, inspired by the Parisian passages. You will find among others the historic Caffè Baratti & Milano, the Sfashion Cafè created by Piero Chiambretti, the fusion restaurant Arcadia, the Galleria Gilibert specialized in author’s posters and the new location of the Libreria Luxemburg.
Piazza Castello
Once out of the Gallery you will be in the historical heart of Turin, which owes its name to the central residence of Palazzo Madama, formerly the Castle of the Princes of Acaja and previously Porta Pretoria in Roman times.
Palazzo Madama
Palazzo Madama is the building that summarizes two thousand years of the city’s history: from the Roman era (the remains of the Roman walls are still visible in the entrance hall), to the Middle Ages, to the Baroque to the Renaissance.
In addition to the splendid Baroque staircase and the masterpieces housed inside, such as the “Portrait of a Man” by Antonello da Messina, the panoramic viewpoint on one of the towers and the medieval garden in the moat are worth a visit.
Church of San Lorenzo
The first work built in Turin by Guarino Guarini was commissioned by Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy to celebrate the victory against the French in the Battle of San Quintino (1557). It represents one of the greatest masterpieces of European Baroque, with the characteristic dome with intersecting bands; observe it carefully from below, you will seem to see the faces of demons quite angry. The church has no facade, to maintain the architectural homogeneity of Piazza Castello.
Royal Palace and Royal Museums
Former official residence of the Savoy family until 1865, Royal Palace is an integral part of the Royal Museums of Turin. With a single ticket you can explore the royal apartments, the Royal Library which houses the famous “Self-Portrait” in red chalk by Leonardo da Vinci, the Royal Armoury which offers a vast collection of historical weapons and armor and the Galleria Sabauda and its rich collection of masterpieces by artists such as Beato Angelico, Mantegna, Veronese, Rembrandt and Van Dyck.
The visit includes access to the Chapel of the Shroud, designed by Guarini to house the Holy Shroud, the sheet that according to tradition wrapped the body of Christ after the crucifixion. The most extraordinary element of the chapel is the dome with a complex structure of interwoven arches that create a striking play of light, a symbol of spiritual ascent. As you may have noticed, Guarino Guarini is the archistar of Turin’s Baroque.
Once out of the Royal Palace, look out over the splendid gardens, an oasis of tranquility in the heart of Turin.
Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista (Duomo) and Porta Palatina
After passing Piazzetta Reale, a portico will lead you to Piazza del Duomo. Dedicated to San Giovanni Battista, it is the only example of Renaissance sacred architecture in Turin. The bell tower was erected in 1470 in Romanesque forms and completed in the 18th century by Filippo Juvarra.
From Piazza del Duomo you can glimpse the remains of Roman Turin: the Porte Palatine, dating back to the 1st century BC, were one of the main entrances to the Roman city of Augusta Taurinorum. Next to the Duomo are also the remains of the Roman Amphitheater.
Piazza IV Marzo
If it’s lunchtime before or after your visit to the Royal Museums, head to Largo IV Marzo for a refreshing break, choosing from the many restaurants, trattorias and dehors that surround the square. From here you can glimpse some medieval houses, among the few testimonies of this era in Turin.
Via Po
Return to Piazza Castello, walking along the arcades on the left. You will arrive at the Teatro Regio, a masterpiece by Carlo Mollino, and the entrance to Via Po. It is an opportunity for a pleasant walk under the wide arcades, which lead from Piazza Castello to Piazza Vittorio Veneto and the Po river, among antique shops, used book stalls and historic places such as Caffè Fiorio.
The street was built as the second expansion of the city (1673) by Amedeo di Castellamonte. Noteworthy are the Palazzo dell’Università, the church of San Francesco da Paola, the Palazzo degli Stemmi. Via Po is characterized by two rows of parallel arcades, but with a significant difference: those on the left side are uninterrupted, to allow the King not to get wet, while those on the right side are discontinuous.
Almost at the end of the street, towards Piazza Vittorio Veneto, in an elegant building, is the Museum of Decorative Arts – Accorsi Foundation which collects the collection of Italian and foreign furniture of the antique dealer and art connoisseur Pietro Accorsi.
Mole Antonelliana
From a side street of Via Po, Via Montebello, you will see the imposing figure of the Mole Antonelliana, symbol of Turin that, with its 167.5 meters, stands high above the city. Begun in 1862 by Alessandro Antonelli as a Jewish synagogue, it was sold to the Municipality due to lack of funds and was completed only in 1889, a year after the death of its creator and in conjunction with the completion of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Inside it houses the National Cinema Museum, the only one in Italy and among the most important in the world: from collections dedicated to the archeology of cinema to the history of photography, from posters and advertising kits to set materials, the museum offers a unique and exciting journey through the history of the Seventh Art. Do not miss the 360-degree view of the city, possible thanks to the fast panoramic elevator inside that takes you up to a height of 85 meters.
Piazza Vittorio Veneto
Back in Via Po, after a few steps you will be in Piazza Vittorio Veneto which, with its large surface sloping towards the Po, creates a harmonious link between the historic city and the Po river. This 40,000 square meter arcaded square, the largest in Turin and among the largest in Europe, overlooks the Gran Madre church and offers a panoramic view of the hill. The square, which the Turin people familiarly call “Piazza Vittorio” or “Piazza Vitto” for the younger ones, is also very popular for the lively presence of clubs, which make it one of the main centers of Turin’s nightlife.
Church of the Gran Madre di Dio
Cross the Vittorio Emanuele I bridge, you will have a splendid glimpse of the Po river and the Murazzi, a place of worship for Turin’s nights of the 90s. Arriving on the other side, you will find the church of the Gran Madre. Built between 1827 and 1831, it is inspired by the Pantheon in Rome and commemorates the return of Vittorio Emanuele I after the Napoleonic occupation. The Latin inscription on the pediment reads: Ordo Populusque Taurinus ob Adventum Regis (The authorities and the Turin citizens for the return of the king). Go up the staircase, you will have a beautiful view of Piazza Vittorio, between the two statues representing Faith and Religion.
Monte dei Cappuccini
A ten-minute walk on the Colle dei Cappuccini will take you to one of the most visited panoramic points in Turin. A viewpoint at three hundred meters above sea level from which to admire Turin and the entire Alpine arc that surrounds it, waiting for the sunset.
Our itinerary to discover the historic center of Turin ends here. If evening has come, you can go down for an aperitif in Piazza Vittorio or Murazzi. Or move to San Salvario for dinner. Turin’s night awaits you.
The places of the heart in the center of Turin
TO eat
For a lunch along the way you are spoiled for choice. A stop in Piazza IV Marzo should be strategic for its time and varied offerings.
TO drink
A stop at a historic café is a must: you can choose between the tiny Mulassano, the elegant Baratti & Milano, the velluti di Florio, or the luxurious San Carlo.
TO shop
A gourmet souvenir from Gobino or Eataly, a book from Luxembourg. For clothes you can range from the luxury of San Carlo dal 1973 to the second hand of Humana Vintage in via Po, to the independent Moito.
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