Torino (Turin), Province of Torino, Piedmont

Located along the right bank of the Po river at the confluence with the Dora Riparia, is among the most beautiful cities in Europe, with the backdrop of the snowy peaks of the Alps and the green hill of Superga.

The residence of the Savoy family and first capital of the Italian kingdom, it is rich of 17th and 18-th century monuments; it is also a major industrial city in north-western Italy and headquarters of the Fiat automotive company, Telecom Italia, the National Rai TV channel, it is also a sports capital with the two first-division soccer teams Juventus and Torino.

Info

Area: 130 sq km
Altitude: 239 m a.s.l
Population: about 870,000 inhabitants in 2018
Zip/postal code: 10100, see zip codes for specific addresses in Turin
Dialing Area Code: +39 011
Patron Saint: St John the Baptist, celebrated on 24 June
GPS Coordinates: 45°4' N 7°42'E

Administrative Division

The comune includes the following 10 Cisrcoscrizioni, which include also the historical districts.

I: Centro, Crocetta;
II: Mirafiori Nord, Santa Rita;
III: Borgata Lesna, Borgo San Paolo, Cenisia, Cit Turin, Pozzo Strada;
IV: Campidoglio, Parella, San Donato;
V: Borgata Vittoria, Lucento, Madonna di Campagna, Vallette;
VI: Barca, Barriera di Milano, Bertolla, Falchera, Rebaudengo, Regio Parco, Villaretto;
VII: Aurora, Madonna del Pilone, Sassi, Vanchiglia;
VIII: Borgo Po, Cavoretto, San Salvario;
IX: Filadelfia, Lingotto, Nizza Millefonti;
X: Mirafiori Sud

History: Antiquity

The name of Turin comes from Tau, a celtic word that means "mountain", and it was the ancient Taurasia, capital of the Taurini of Ligurian-Celtic origin, at first hostile, then allied to Rome. In 218 a.C. the inhabitants tried to resist the passage of Hannibal who destroyed the city, which was rebuilt under Augustus and called Iulia Augusta Taurinorum, and the typical Roman street plan with streets at right angles can still be seen in the texture of the modern city centre.

History: The Middle Ages

After the fall of the Roman empire, it was occupied by the Heruli and Ostrogoths, and later the seat of a Lombard duchy, then became a county under the Franks. In the first half of the 11th century it was under Countess Adelaide of Susa, who married Oddo, Count of Savoy, son of Umberto Biancamano. In 1294 Amedeus V gave the fiefdom to the Acaya princes, who kept the domain until 1418, when Amedeus VIII, the first Savoy Duke, unified all domains of his dynasty, including Turin, where he often loved to dwell.

History: Modern Times

In 1536 Torino was conquered by the French and only in 1562 and was recovered after the peace of Cateau-Cambrésis by Emanuele Filiberto, who chose it as his capital and built a fortified citadel. Occupied by the armies of Napoleon in 1798 and the following year by the Austrians, it returned to France after the Marengo Battle in 1800, and was transformed into a French Department. In 1814 it was restored to the House of Savoy under Victor Emmanuel I, who to render thanks erected the Church of the Great Mother of God.

From 1821 to 1848 it was central in the Italian independence movement of the Risorgimento, and in 1861 was proclaimed capital of the Kingdom of Italy; the capital was then moved to Florence in 1864, and to Rome in 1870.Among the leaders in Italian industrialization, Torino was the seat of the earliest Italian automotive industries - the Spa, Italy, Lancia, Fiat - followed by textile and mechanic factories. Since then Torino has achieved prosperity and progress in industry, commerce and culture.

In the 2001 census, Turin was the fourth largest city in Italy, with a large proportion of people with southern-Italian background as a consequence of the mass immigration of the second half of the twentieth century, and a significant presence of immigrants from abroad.

What to see

The Museo delle Antichità Egizie (Aegyptian Museum), the second in the world in its sector after the Cairo Museum;
The 19th-century Mole Antonelliana, 167.5 meters high, a symbol of the city, built by architect Alessandro Antonelli, which today hosts the National Cinema Museum of Italy;
The Residences of the Savoy: the Royal Palace, official residence until 1865; Palazzo Madama; Casaforte Acaja, built by the Romans as a garrison on the river Po, first a defensive system, then the seat of government until the 16th century; the Juvarra Hunting Lodge in the Stupinigi park; the castle of Rivoli; and other buildings, castles and stately homes in the city center and surrounding localities, now included among the UNESCO World Heritage sites;
The Porte Palatine in Piazza Cesare Augusto, an important relic of the Roman period;
The church of the Consolata, with the bell tower of St. Andrew from the Romanesque period;
The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist which houses the Holy Shroud, preserved here since 1578;
The Parco del Valentino, a national park located along the banks of the Po, with an area of 421,000 sqm, which houses also a Medieval Village, a, reconstruction of Piedmontese medieval life begun in 1884;
The Basilica of Superga, on the hill overlooking the city.
The Lingotto building, once the largest car factory in the world, transformed today into a convention centre, concert hall, art gallery and shopping centre.

Where to stay

Useful Links

Official Website of the Comune of Torino.
Torino hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics

ItalyHeritage on Facebook

Italian Genealogy

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