Turin was the first capital of unified Italy and, for centuries before that, the seat of the House of Savoy, who gave it grand squares, royal palaces and long arcaded streets. It is also the city where vermouth was born, where Fiat built its cars and where café culture comes with a strong taste of chocolate. Here are the facts and stories that make the city special.
10 fun facts about Turin
- Italy's first capital: when the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed in 1861, Turin became its capital. The government moved to Florence in 1865 and finally to Rome in 1871.
- A king's birthplace and a parliament: Palazzo Carignano, with its wavy brick facade by Guarino Guarini, is where King Victor Emmanuel II was born in 1820 and where the first Italian parliament met in 1861. Today it houses the National Museum of the Risorgimento.
- Royal palaces on the World Heritage List: the Royal Palace was the main seat of the Savoy dynasty, and since 1997 it has been part of the UNESCO site that groups the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy in and around Turin.
- Arcades for every season: the centre has around 18 kilometres of porticoes, so you can walk from Piazza Castello along Via Po towards the river while staying under cover almost all the way.
- The oldest Egyptian museum in the world: the Museo Egizio, founded in 1824, is the oldest museum devoted entirely to ancient Egyptian culture.
- The hometown of vermouth: in 1786 Antonio Benedetto Carpano began selling a white wine flavoured with herbs and spices in Turin and called it vermouth, after the German word for wormwood.
- A chocolate in gold foil: the gianduiotto, a little boat-shaped chocolate made with hazelnut paste, was launched in Turin in 1865 and is said to be the first individually wrapped chocolate.
- A café older than Italy: Caffè Al Bicerin, a tiny café opposite the Santuario della Consolata, opened in 1763 and gave its name to the city's famous layered drink.
- A test track on the roof: Fiat was founded in Turin in 1899. Its Lingotto factory, opened in the 1920s, had a test track on the roof, which you can see in the 1969 film The Italian Job.
- A synagogue that became a cinema museum: the Mole Antonelliana was begun in 1863 as a synagogue. Completed in 1889 at 167.5 metres, it is considered the tallest unreinforced brick building in the world, and since 2000 it has housed the National Museum of Cinema.
The story of the Holy Shroud
Turin Cathedral keeps the Shroud of Turin, a linen cloth more than four metres long that bears the faint image of a man who appears to have been crucified. The Dukes of Savoy acquired it in the 15th century and in 1578 brought it from Chambéry to Turin, their new capital. It had already survived a fire in Chambéry in 1532. In 1997 it was rescued again when fire broke out in Guarino Guarini's Chapel of the Holy Shroud, and a firefighter smashed its protective glass to carry it out. Radiocarbon tests in 1988 dated the linen to the Middle Ages, but the debate about how the image was formed goes on. Since 1983 the Shroud has belonged to the Pope. It is kept out of sight and shown in public only on rare occasions, while Guarini's chapel reopened in 2018 after a long restoration.
What to eat in Turin
- Bicerin: espresso, hot chocolate and cold cream layered in a small glass. Don't stir it.
- Gianduiotti: the hazelnut chocolates in gold foil, sold in every pastry shop and chocolate maker in the centre.
- Agnolotti del plin: tiny pinched pasta parcels filled with meat, served with butter and sage or with roast juices.
- Vitello tonnato: cold, thinly sliced veal under a creamy tuna and caper sauce, a Piedmontese classic.
- Vermouth: order it as an aperitivo, the early-evening drink that comes with snacks in most bars.
Good to know before you go
- The Egyptian Museum and the Royal Museums, which include the Royal Palace, the Royal Armoury and the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, are large. Book timed tickets ahead and allow several hours for each.
- The panoramic lift inside the Mole Antonelliana has limited space, so book a slot in advance, especially at weekends.
- For the classic view of the city with the Alps behind it, cross the Po to Monte dei Cappuccini, or go up to the Basilica of Superga on its hill.
- The Reggia di Venaria Reale, a huge Savoy hunting palace with gardens just outside the city, makes an easy half-day trip.
Explore Turin with World City Trail
Our Turin scavenger hunt turns these sights into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around two hours, with about 41 minutes of walking, and leads you past Turin Cathedral, home of the Holy Shroud, the Royal Palace and Palazzo Carignano.
At each stop you solve a puzzle and hear a short story, at your own pace. You can start whenever you like.
Play the Turin scavenger hunt →
Facts checked in October 2026.