Piedmont (Piemonte), in northern Italy, is Italy's second-largest region after Sicily. Piedmont is surrounded on three sides by the Alps and the Apennines.
Turin (Torino) is Piedmont's capital. It was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1865. Most of the city lies on the western bank of the Po River. Turin is known for its Baroque, Roccoco, neo-classical, and Art Nouveau architecture.
The Great Synagogue of Turin was designed in the Moorish style and opened in 1884. It wa severely damaged by bombing in 1942 and was rebuilt in 1949. It can seat 1400 people.
Porta Palatina is one of the world's best-preserved first-century Roman city gates. The gate provided access through the city walls from the north to the cardo maximus.
Piazza San Carlo (Piazza Reale) was laid out in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Baroque style. The southern edge of the square has the twin churches of Santa Cristina and San Carlo Borromeo.
The Turin Cathedral, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist (Cathedrale di San Giovanni Battista), was built in 1491-1498. The adjacent Chapel of the Holy Shroud was added to the structure in 1668-1694. The cathedral adjoins a bell tower built in 1470.
Piazza Castello is surrounded by the Royal Palace and Armory, the Teatro Regio, the headquarters of the Piedmont Region, and the Royal Church of San Lorenzo.
The Royal Church of San Lorenzo (Real Chiesa di San Lorenzo) is a Baroque-style church adjacent to the Royal Palace of Turin, built in 1668-1687.
The Royal Palace of Turin (Palazzo Reale di Torino) is the historic palace and armory of the House of Savoy, originally built in the 16th century and modernized in the 17th century by Christine Marie of France. It also includes the Chapel of the Holy Shroud (Cappella della Sacra Sindone), which houses the Shroud of Turin, added to the structure in 1668-1694 and adjoining the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist.
The beautifully-curated Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum), near Piazza San Carlo, specializes in Egyptian archeology and anthropology and houses one of the world's largest collections of Egyptian antiquities, with more than 30,000 artifacts. Only the Egyptian Museum of Cairo is larger. The museum was completely remodeled in 2015.
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Last modified 17 August 2023