Things to do in Turin: tours and activities

Turin looks to the future with modernity without forgetting its past as the Savoy capital and an industrial city. The same past that has been converted into a present full of cultural and intellectual depth. The time of the Savoy seems like it was long ago but you can feel it by walking from Piazza Castello to the Piazza Reale, where the Palazzo Reale, built in the XVII century, stands proudly after being the Savoy residence for 200 years.

Not far from the Lodge Armory, you get to the Royal Armory, one of the most important in Europe because of its rich and varied collection of weapons and armors. In the north-east part of the center, La Mole stands with grandeur. The emblem of Turin houses today the National Museum of Cinema. Just outside the center you can find the second symbol of Savoy capital, the Basilica di Superga, designed by Filippo Juvarra and wanted by Vittorio Amedeo II in 1706.

The Turin Cathedral, dating to the period between 1491 and 1498, stands in the same place where a XIV century basilica was founded in the past. This is the only testimony of Renaissance art in the city. Furthermore, the cathedral is the guardian of the most discussed Christian relic of all times: the Holy Shroud.

Going beyond the Porta Palatina you get to the Porta Palazzo. Here the largest market in Europe is held with an extraordinary maze of stalls and the intrigue of multi-ethnic tastes and smells of incredible charm. A little farther on, in the neighborhood of Borgo Dora, you can come across in a lively and ancient flea market, known as the "Balon".

Found between Piazza Castello and Piazza Carlo Felice, Piazza San Carlo is known as the 'living room of Turin' thanks to its extraordinary elegance. Among the baroque facades of the twin churches San Carlo and Santa Cristina, luxurious bars and chic boutiques follow one another, while in the center of the square you can admire the famous equestrian statue Caval d' Brôns, dedicated to Emanuele Filiberto.

A few steps from Piazza San Carlo, you can visit the famous Egyptian Museum, one of the most important after the Museum of Cairo. In corso Unità d'Italia, the Automobile Museum Charles Biscaretti Ruffia is not to be missed with its 150 vehicles that show the history of cars in Italy and abroad.