Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Piazza Castello
Turin's central square shelters a wealth of museums, theatres and cafes. Essentially
baroque, the grand piazza was laid out from the 14th century to serve as the seat of dyn-
astic power for the House of Savoy.
PIAZZA
Museo Civico d'Arte Antica
MUSEUM
(
www.palazzomadamatorino.it
;
Piazza Castello; adult/reduced €10/8; 10am-6pm Tue-Sat, to 7pm Sun)
part-medieval, part-baroque castle built in the 13th century on the site of the old Roman
gate. It was named after Madama Reale Maria Cristina, the widow of Vittorio Amedeo I
(Duke of Savoy, 1630-37), who lived here in the 17th century. Today, part of the palace
houses this expansive museum, which contains four floors of works that document the
city's artistic movements after Italian unification.
Palazzo Reale
(Piazza Castello; adult/reduced €10/5; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Sun)
Statues of the mythical twins
Castor and Pollux guard the entrance to this eye-catching palace and, according to local
legend, also watch over the border between the sacred ('white magic') and diabolical
('black magic') halves of the city that date back to Roman times. Built for Carlo
Emanuele II around 1646, its lavishly decorated rooms house an assortment of furnish-
was designed in 1697 by André le Nôtre, who also created the gardens at Versailles.
The Palazzo Reale ticket allows you to view the
Galleria Sabauda
, the personal art col-
lection of the Savoy monarchy, which was amassed over 400 years and includes gems by
Van Dyck, Rubens and Lippi. Since 2012, the collection has been housed in the Manica
Nuova, the newer wing of the Palazzo Reale. Access is also allowed into the
Armeria Reale
, another wing of the palace full of impressive muskets, spears and suits of armour.
MUSEUM
Galleria Civica d'Arte
Moderna e Contemporanea
(GAM;
www.gamtorino.it
;
Via Magenta 31; adult/reduced €10/8; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun)
Italy can
sometimes feel strangely light on modern art, until you come to Turin. GAM has an
ART GALLERY
