PALACES AND MONUMENTS
PALACES AND MONUMENTS
Palaces and monuments you can’t miss in Turin: the Hotel Plaza guide
With an immense artistic and cultural heritage inherited over centuries of history, Turin is a city rich in architectural and monumental elements that deserve to be visited and admired. From the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, a Unesco World Heritage Site, to the Baroque churches, to the ruins of the Roman era: the Hotel Plaza recommends ten places to visit during your stay in the Piedmontese capital.
The Mole Antonelliana
Why not start from the symbol of Turin par excellence? Designed by the architect from which it takes its name, Alessandro Antonelli, the Mole Antonelliana maintained the record for the tallest masonry construction in the world from 1889 (the year it was inaugurated) until 1908. It currently reaches 167.50 metres in height, and since 2000 it houses the National Cinema Museum and the panoramic lift.
Address: Via Montebello 20
Telephone: 011 8138563
Royal Palace of Turin
Part of the complex of the Royal Museums of Turin and named a Unesco heritage site in 1997, the Royal Palace of Turin is the historic residence of the Savoy family. The itinerary, made up of history, art and nature, includes, in addition to the Royal Palace also a visit to the Royal Gardens, the Royal Library and Armoury, the Galleria Sabauda, the Archaeological Museum, the exhibition rooms of Palazzo Chiablese and the Chapel of the Holy Shroud.
Address: Piazzetta Reale, 1
Telephone: 011 5211106
Palazzo Madama
From Roman gate to medieval fortress, up to becoming the castle of the Princes of Acaja in the fifteenth century: Palazzo Madama is a real time travel. Its name is a tribute to the Royal Madams Christina of France and Giovanna Battista of Savoy Nemours, to whom we owe the renovation project of the building entrusted to Filippo Juvarra, which peaked in the construction of the grand staircase and the elegant façade in full Baroque style.
Address: Piazza Castello, 10
Telephone: 011 4433501
Palazzo Carignano
Designed by architect Guarino Guarini, Palazzo Carignano is part of the Savoy residences, a Unesco heritage. It’s one of the most beautiful examples of Italian Baroque, thanks above all to the sinuous and curvilinear shape of the terracotta façade and the atrium with double staircases. Initially the official residence of the Princes of Carignano and then the seat of the Chamber of Deputies of the Subalpine Parliament, today the building houses the National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento.
Address: Via Accademia delle Scienze, 5
Telephone: 0115641733
Villa della Regina
Villa della Regina, residence of many Savoy sovereigns is a fascinating seventeenth-century building in Baroque style. Inside it, it is possible to admire the splendid Chinese restrooms in lacquered and gilded wood, while on the back there is an Italian garden, shaped like an amphitheatre, with a fountain, small waterfalls and a vineyard still in use today.
Address: Strada Comunale Santa Margherita, 79
Telephone: 0118195035
The Castle of Valentino and the Medieval Village
The Valentino Park, in addition to splendid walks surrounded by greenery along the banks of the Po river, offers the opportunity to admire statues, fountains and, in particular, two buildings.
The Castle of Valentino, ancient river residence of the Savoy, and today seat of the Architecture department of the Polytechnic of Turin, with its four corner towers and sloping roofs, recalls the style of the 17th century French castles. The Medieval Village, instead, dates back to 1884 and is inspired by medieval castles, reproducing all the typical settings, from the drawbridge to the workshops, from the armoury to the prisons, recreating a real open-air museum.
Fenoglio-Lafleur house
Designed at the beginning of the ‘900 by the architect Pietro Fenoglio, this building is one of the most beautiful examples of liberty architecture in the city of Turin. The corner tower with large windows, decorated with stained glass and wrought iron, makes the house special and unique.
Address: Via Principi D’Acaja 11
Turin Cathedral
Dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the Cathedral is the only Renaissance-style church in the city of Turin. Inside it you can admire the Chapel of Guarino Guarini, with a circular shape and conical dome and entirely covered with white and black marble, commissioned by Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia to preserve the Holy Shroud, in a glass and silver case.
Address: Piazza S.Giovanni
Telephone: 011 4361540
Santuario della Consolata
Also known as Church of the Virgin of the Consolation, it has been subject to various alterations over the centuries. From the first construction, dating back to the Early Christian age, the church has been enlarged and modified by top architects such as Guarino Guarini and Filippo Juvarra to whom we owe the high altar in full Baroque style.
Address: Piazza della Consolata
Telephone: 011 4836125
Palatine Gate
Dating back to the 1st century AD, the Palatine Gate was one of the four entrances to the city walls during the Roman period. Flanked by two polygonal towers 30 metres high and with more than 2000 years of history behind it, it’s the main testimony of the Roman origin of the Piedmontese capital.
Address: Piazza Cesare Augusto
Gran Madre di Dio
The Gran Madre di Dio Church, with its grand neoclassical facade, stands majestic at the end of the Vittorio Emanuele I bridge, offering one of the most striking views of Turin. Built between 1818 and 1831 to celebrate the return of King Vittorio Emanuele I after the fall of Napoleon, it is one of the most recognizable religious symbols of the city. The church is also famous for the two statues that adorn its churchyard: Faith and Religion, and for the legend that connects it to the Holy Grail.
Address: Piazza Gran Madre di Dio 4
Phone: 011 819 3572