Italy offers countless beautiful cities: Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples … Unfortunately, in this abundance of art, culture and history, less impressive cities are sometimes forgotten. Turin is such a city. In addition to the Mole Antonelliana, the Egyptian Museum, the cathedral with the Shroud of Turin and the car museums, the city has so much more to offer. Less visited and even somewhat hidden sights include the Pinacoteca dell’ Accademia, the Santa Maria della Consolazione and the Museo Diocesano di Torino. A little further away you will find a beautiful old monastery complex in the hills, the Sacra di San Michele or the Santuario di Vicoforte, a church with the largest dome in Europe. Turin has a lot to offer.
Table of contents
- Pinacoteca dell’Accademia Albertina
- Museo Diocesano di Torino
- Gran Madre di Dio
- Corpus Domini
- Parco e Castello del Valentino and the Borgo Medievale
- Santa Maria del Monte dei Cappuccini
- San Domenico
- Santa Maria della Consolazione
- Sacra di San Michele
- Santuario di Vicoforte
Legend
A . Pinacoteca dell’ Accademia
B . Museo Diocesano di Torino
C . Gran Madre di Dio
D . Corpus Domini
E. Parco del Valentino
F . Santa Maria del Monte dei Cappuccini
G . San Domenico
H . Santa Maria della Consolazione
I. Sacra di San Michele
J . Santuario di Vicoforte
Turin is the ideal city for a short city trip. There are enough sights to fill a few days with culture, the city has a rich gastronomic culture, there are nice squares and porticos to stroll … The main sights, such as the Museo Egizio, the cathedral or the many squares are a must for everyone. However, Turin and its surroundings have enough to offer for a second or third visit. Such sights include the Pinacoteca, the Museo Diocesano and the Gran Madre di Dio.
Opening hours and ticket prices apply in October 2019.
Pinacoteca dell’Accademia Albertina
In the list of sights of Turin, the Pinacoteca is often overlooked. However, the museum features some of the world’s most important painters. There are – of course – mainly paintings, ranging from the early fourteenth to the early eighteenth century. The emphasis is on the Renaissance. Some important names are Filippo Lippi, Maarten van Heemskerck and Gaudenzio Ferrari. It’s not a big museum, but it’s definitely worth it.
Practical information
- Address: Via Accademia Albertina 8
- Opening hours: closed on Wednesdays; all other days from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
- Tickets: 7 euros
Museo Diocesano di Torino
Throughout its centuries-old history, the Catholic Church has always used works of art as a means of persuasiveness for its message. The greatest artists have worked in her service and enriched countless churches and cathedrals with their works. That is no different in Turin. Visitors to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist will notice that it looks rather ‘bare’. That’s because the most important works of art are exhibited in the Museo Diocesano (the Museum of the Diocese). You can also climb the tower there, for an additional charge of two euros.
Practical information
- Address: Piazza San Giovanni 4
- Opening hours: Friday to Monday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Tickets: 5 euros
Source: MarkusMark, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Gran Madre di Dio
The appeal of Roman antiquity has always been great, but perhaps never as great as in the nineteenth century. After the Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo, art was re-established on the old form and style. And which ancient building appeals more to the imagination than the Pantheon in Rome? The building has remained virtually untouched and functional for almost two thousand years, first as a temple and later as a church.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, people wanted to celebrate the return of the king of Piedmont by building a large church dedicated to Mary: the Gran Madre di Dio. The building is strongly based on the Pantheon, including the dome. The following text is carved on the tympanum: Orde Populusque Taurinus ob Adventum Regis”. The text refers to the return of the king: “The nobility and people of Turin for the return of the King”. In front of the building there is a large statue of King Vittorio Emmanuele I (1759-1824). He himself did not experience the inauguration of the church