Half-day tour
discovering
Turin
The
tour leaves from Piazza Castello (Castle Square), heart of the city, and
includes a stop at Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace), the baroque Palace of the
House of Savoy, and at the Church of San
Lorenzo, seventeenth- century masterpiece of the architect
Guarino Guarini of Modena . In
the latter, there is a photographic copy of the Holy Shroud, the most
controversial and mysterious icon of the Christian world. Of great
importance is Palazzo Madama ( Madama Palace
) with its grand
staircase designed by the architect Juvarra. This palace defines the
history of the city: from Roman gate, to
Medieval
Castle
, to Residence of Christine of France and of
Marie Jean Baptiste of Savoy Nemours,
and in the end the first seat of the Italian Senate in 1861.
The
tour continues to the Roman Theatre,
the
Porta Palatina (Palatina Gate),
the Duomo di
San Giovanni Battista (Cathedral of
Saint Joan the Baptist, the only example of Renaissance art
in Turin), and the Chapel of the Holy Shroud
(currently being restored, after the fire of 1997).
On
to Via Roma with its baroque Piazza San Carlo
(San Carlo Square), masterpiece of
Carlo and Amedeo di Castellamonte, at the center of which rises “L Caval ‘d Brons”, monument of Emanuele
Filiberto of Savoy, the duke who made Turin the capital of the Duchy.
After
a stop in one of the historic cafés of the square, we proceed to Piazza Carignano (Carignano
Square), to admire the Palazzo Carignano of Guarino Guarini,
where the first king of Italy
was born and where the first Italian Parliament was seated .
We
then reach Via Po via the nineteenth-century Galleria
Subalpina dell’Industria of Carrera. After a few more blocks,
we arrive at the Mole Antonelliana,
symbol of the city, designed to be a synagogue and now site of the Cinema Museum.
Our
last stop is in Piazza Vittorio Veneto
(Vittorio Veneto Square), with its
view of the hills of Turin and of
its two churches: Gran Madre di Dio and Santa
Maria del Monte dei Cappuccini.
Full-day tour discovering
Turin
The
tour comprises all of the above, which is followed by lunch in a
typical restaurant.
The
afternoon is dedicated to visiting the Parco
del Valentino ( Valentino
Park
), the oldest
in the city, and its neo-Medieval village
and castle, built for the
international expo 1884. Close to the castle is La
Fontana
dei 12
Mesi of Ceppi (Fountain representing
the 12 months), an example of art nouveau architecture.
You
have the opportunity then to take pictures at the Castello
del Valentino (Valentino Castle),
residence of Christine of France, and now site of the University’s School
of Architecture
.
Our
final stop is in the hills overlooking
Turin
to visit the
Basilica of Superga where many members of the House of Savoy
are buried.
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