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About Turin
Turin (Italian: Torino) is a major industrial city in north-western Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the west bank of the Po River. Turin is also well-known as the home of the Shroud of Turin and host of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
The name of Turin comes from Tau, a Celtic word that means mountains. Its Italian name, Torino, translates as little bull; hence the coat of arms and the symbol of the city. The area was settled by the Taurini in pre-Roman times. It was partly destroyed by Hannibal in 218 BC. It was made a Roman military colony under Emperor Augustus. A part of the Lombard duchy in the 6th century AD, it became the seat of government under Charlemagne (742-814). It passed to the house of Savoy in 1046. The capital of the kingdom of Sardinia in 1720, Turin was occupied by the French during the Napoleonic Wars. The political and intellectual centre of the Risorgimento movement, it served as the first capital of united Italy (1861-65). In 1865 the capital was moved to Florence (Since 1870 the capital has been Rome). Turin reacted to the loss of importance by beginning a rapid industrialization: in 1899 FIAT was founded and Lancia in 1906. The Universal Exposition held in Turin in 1902 is often considered the pinnacle of Art Nouveau design, and the city hosted the Exposition again in 1911. By this time, Turin had grown to 430,000 inhabitants. During World War II Turin sustained heavy damage from Allied air raids. After World War II Turin was rapidly rebuilt and its industries greatly developed, which caused waves of immigration, largely from the southern regions of Italy. The population reached 1 million in 1960 and peaked at 1.5 million in 1975. In the 1980s the first industrial crisis hit the city and its population began to decline (and continues to, while the metropolitan area grows).
Today it is the focus of Italy's automotive industry and an international fashion centre.
Turin also has one of the world largest football clubs (Juventus F.C.) that is supported by a large number of Italians. Juventus F.C have always had a fierce rivalry with the Milan football club (from Milan) who is another massively supported team in the Serie A (1st division).
Places to see
One of its main symbols is the Mole Antonelliana, a 167 meter (549ft) tall tower built between 1798 and 1888, which hosts the National Cinema Museum of Italy.
The main symbol of the Roman city are the Palatine Towers.
The Cathedral of St John the Baptist houses the Shroud of Turin, an old linen cloth with an imprint of a man, which is believed by many to be the cloth that covered Jesus in his grave.
The Museo Egizio has the most important collection of Egyptian antiquities in the world after the Cairo Museum.
Piazza San Carlo, known as the drawing room of Turin, is a beautiful baroque square with the twin churches of San Carlo and Santa Cristina as well as the above museum.
Piazza Castello is at the center of Turin. The square is a pedestrian area with benches and small fountains, ringed by beautiful, grand buildings.
Il Quadrilatero is an interesting maze of backstreets with sprawling markets and splendid churches.
Turin offers a circuit of great historical and architectural interest: the Savoy Residences. In addition to the Royal Palace, the official residence of the Savoys until 1865, the circuit includes palaces, residences and castles in the city centre and in the surrounding towns. Turin is home to Palazzo Chiablese, the Royal Armoury, the Royal Library, Palazzo Madama, Palazzo Carignano, Villa della Regina, and the Valentino Castle. 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. Some of these (first and foremost Rivoli, the location of the Museum of the same name) host events, exhibitions and cultural initiatives not only of local interest. In 1997, this complex of historical buildings was recognised as a World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
In the hills above the city is the basilica church of Superga, from where there is a splendid panorama of Turin against a backdrop of the snow-capped Alps. The basilica holds the tombs of many of the dukes of Savoy.
