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TURIN FACTS and FIGURES
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Comau-Pico, the world leader in automotive production systems, is located in Turin.
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Turin is where the Fiat Group was founded and still operates – producing Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo cars.
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Turin was the first capital of the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1864, in addition to serving as the capital of the Duchy of Savoy and the Kingdom of Sardinia.
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In 1786, Benedetto Carpano invented vermouth, the Turin aperitif created by the expert blending of wine with thirteen different ingredients.
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Turin is home to grissini – those famous breadsticks served in virtually every restaurant.
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Chocolate was another invention from Turin. In 1678, a royal decree authorized and regulated its production (mainly for export). Over the centuries, the master chocolate makers have created delicacies that have delighted palates all around the world: the gianduiotto (hazelnuts and chocolate), pralines and Nutella. Even the Swiss admit that they learned how to make good chocolate from the Savoy chocolatiers!
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SIP and STET, the companies from which telephony in Italy developed, were founded in Turin.
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Turin is best recognized for its sweeping covered arcades, the longest in Europe where you can walk for hours passing from one arch to another.
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The city also has some wonderful restaurants, specializing in serving local products: cheese, wild mushrooms, truffles, chocolate, and prestigious wines like Barolo, Nebbiolo, and Dolcetto.
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Turin was also the first cinema town, before Cinecitta’ in Rome. At the Mole Antonelliana you can visit the Cinema Museum: www.museonazionaledelcinema.org and www.torinocittadelcinema.it (only in Italian).
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The “Slow Food” movement was started in Bra, close to Turin: www.slowfood.it.
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The Holy Shroud is located in Turin in the Duomo behind Piazza Castello: www.sindone.org.
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The Royal Palace (Palazzo Reale) was the official residence of the Savoys until 1865.
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In the area around the city, the castles of Rivoli, Moncalieri, Venaria, Agliè, Racconigi, and Govone can be visited. The Hunting Lodge by Juvarra can be admired in Stupinigi and there is also the royal estate in Pollenzo.
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The Royal Gardens alongside the Royal Palace lead up towards Piazza Castello, continuing with the Parco del Valentino that runs along the Po River from the southern edge of the city up to the central Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Parco del Valentino is a vast and romantic park that contains an impressive botanical garden, a castle and the Borgo Medievale, a medieval village built for the 1884 Turin International Exhibition.
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Palazzo Carignano, designed by Guarini, was home to the first Italian Parliament. Today it houses the Museum of the Risorgimento.
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In the Baroque Piazza Carignano is the Galleria Sabauda and the Egyptian Museum, founded in 1824, and is the world's oldest and the second most important. It houses more than 30,000 items, including the black granite statue of Ramses II, the tomb of the architect Kha and a large collection of papyruses and objects.
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Turin’s Royal Armory has one of the world's most important collections of arms.
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| — TOURIST INFORMATION DESKS — |
Atrium Torino - Piazza Solferino
(Mon-Sun 9.30 am-7 pm)
PORTA NUOVA RAILWAY STATION
(Mon-Sat 9.30 am-7 pm; Sun 9.30 am-3 pm)
CASELLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
(Mon-Sun 8.30 am-10.30 pm)
Ph. +39 011 535 181
Fax +39 011 530 070
E-mail: info@turismotorino.org |
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U.S. Citizen Services