April 12, 2014

Did you know Turin was the first capital of Italy?


Turin, ItalyRome has been the center of the empire and Florence the birthplace of italian culture, but the first capital of Italy was TurinThat’s the third gadders destination where we are stopping in our travel through the Bel Paese! An underestiamted destination that you could discover an enchanting city…

Prior to 2006 Winter Olympics for many foreigners Turin was even hard to find on a map. After the Games not only tourists have begun to reach the city, but they loved it. Because Turin reinvented itself: birthplace of unified Italy and known in the twentieth century as the city of Fiat and Juventus, today shows itself as a splendid art city, solemn and contemporary at the same time, one step away from the Alps and from the Ligurian Coast.

The great baroque squares, the spectacular royal residences, the parks, the slow flow of the river Po make of Turin a happy medium between a metropolis and a Dolce Vita city. A walk in the center of Turin allows to discover the Renaissance palaces, the arcades that adorn the main streets and squares, theaters and cafes where artists and politicians of a time met.
Turin, Italy
The Mole Antonelliana is the symbol of the city, an original structure 167 meters high,that  now houses the museum of cinema. A panoramic lift provides access to the spire to get a view of the whole city. The Egyptian Museum, another highlight, is the second most important museum in the world on Egypt. Piazza Castello is the starting point of Turin urban development from the time of Romans to the Risorgimento, it houses Palazzo Madama, the medieval castle built on the ancient Roman gates and renovated with the addition of an impressing facade. In the chapel of the Cathedral of St. John is kept the silver shrine that contains the Holy Shroud, the relic believed to be the cloth that wrapped the body of Christ.
The Borgo and the Medieval Castle built in the Parco del Valentino during the International Expo of 1884, are an accurate reconstruction of the fifteenth century Gothic houses in Piedmont region. The Basilica of Superga, out of town, is another symbol of the city, inside which there is the mausoleum of the Savoy family.


PS. If you are instead planning a trip to Turin soon,  click here to start looking for a cheap accommodation!


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