Turin (Torino) is the largest city in the region and the fourth-largest in the country.
Throughout the early 20th century, it was the automobile capital of the world. Fiat offer guided tours of their headquarters, where a full-scale test track may be found on the roof, while the Museo dell'Automobile traces the history of the car on an international level. However, there is more to offer than an infatuation with motor cars.
The inhabitants boast its broad, tree-lined avenues flanked by tall, handsome townhouses, such as La Parigi d'Italia (the Italian Paris). The main shopping street, Via Roma, links the city's favourite square, the Piazza San Carlo, with its most dramatic building, the Baroque Palazzo Madama. This houses the Museum of Ancient Art, one of several nationally important museums in the city, and the Egyptian Museum, the second-largest in the world after Cairo.
Turin's compact historic centre is perfect for sightseeing on foot. Around Piazza Castello is the 15th century white marble Duomo (Cathedral) which contains the Cappella della Sindone (Chapel of the Shroud). Close by in the Accademia delle Scienze, on via Accademia delle Scienze, is the celebrated Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum) and the Galleria Sabauda, the main art gallery.
To the east, near the River Po, is the city's Museo Nazionale del Cinema (National Museum of Cinema).
The Stadio delle Alpi is the football stadium currently used for matches by Torino F.C. and Juventus, which is due to be rebuilt to remove the unpopular running track around the pitch and to increase crowd capacity. The current Italian Champions of Seria A, Juventus, are now relegated to Seria B as a result of match-fixing allegations.
- Museo dell'Automobile ~ Museum tracing the history of the motor car on an international level
- Fiat tours ~ Guided tours of the Fiat HQ
- Palazzo Madama ~ Baroque building housing the Museum of Ancient Art.
- Egyptian Museum ~ The second largest museum of Egyptian artefacts outside Cairo.
- Duomo ~ The 15th-century Cathedral contains the Capella della Sindone, built to house the Holy Shroud. But note: the original is only displayed every 25 years, the last time in 2000. The background story of the shroud, a centuries old linen cloth that bears the image of a crucified man, which many believe to be that of Jesus Christ, is explained in the Museo della Sindone.
- Stadio delle Alpi ~ Juventus stadium, so-named because of its proximity to the Alps.
- Mole Antonelliana ~ Built as a synagogue in the 19th-century, this striking building now houses Italy's Museo Nazionale del Cinema (National Museum of Cinema) while the tower, reached by lift, has a viewing platform offering panoramic views of the city and the Alps.
- Parco del Valentino ~ This large park is a great place to relax, as well as to admire the unsual Borgo Medievale, a lifesize reconstruction of a rural medieval village, and the plants in the Orto Botanico, the city's botanic garden.
