Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Got a week? You might need it to see all the sights Turin has to offer. The time-poor can
concentrate on a trio of highlights: the Museo Egizio, the Mole Antonelliana and the
Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile.
MUSEUM
Mole Antonelliana
(Via Montebello 20)
The symbol of Turin, this 167m tower with its distinctive aluminium
spire appears on the Italian two-cent coin. It was originally intended as a synagogue when
construction began in 1862, but was never used as a place of worship. In the mid-1990s,
GOOGLE MAP
(
www.museonazionaledelcinema.org
;
Via Montebello 20; adult/reduced €9/7, incl panor-
amic lift €12/9; 9am-8pm Tue-Fri & Sun, to 11pm Sat)
.
The museum takes you on a fantastic tour through cinematic history, from the earliest
magic lanterns, stereoscopes and other optical toys to the present day. Movie memorabilia
on display includes Marilyn Monroe's black lace bustier, Peter O'Toole's robe from
Lawrence of Arabia
and the coffin used by Bela Lugosi's Dracula. At the heart of the mu-
seum, the vast Temple Hall is surrounded by 10 interactive 'chapels' devoted to various
film genres. The Mole's glass
panoramic lift
whisks you 85m up through the centre of the
museum to the Mole's roof terrace in 59 seconds. Fair warning if you're even slightly
prone to vertigo: it's suspended only by cables, so when you look out it's as if you're free-
floating in space. The 360-degree views from the outdoor viewing deck are dazzling by
day or night.
Museo della Sindone
(
www.sindone.org
; Via San Domenico 28; adult/reduced €6/5; 9am-noon & 3-7pm)
Encased in the
crypt of Santo Sudario church, this fascinating museum documents one of the most stud-
ied objects in human history: the Holy Shroud. Whatever your position on the shroud's
authenticity, its story unfolds like a gripping suspense mystery, with countless plots, sub-
plots and revelations.
Of particular interest is the story of the shroud post-1898, when camera technology al-
lowed people to see much clearer photographic negatives of the cloth for the first time.
MUSEUM
Museo Nazionale del
Risorgimento Italiano
MUSEUM
