The Galleria Subalpina is a covered shopping arcade in central Turin, linking Piazza Castello with Piazza Carlo Alberto. Built in 1873–74 on the model of the Paris passages, it is a single tall hall under a vault of glass and iron, with a balcony running all the way round. Its tenants have included the historic café Baratti & Milano and one of the city's oldest cinemas.
The Galleria Subalpina at a glance
- Where: between Piazza Castello and Piazza Carlo Alberto, in the historic centre of Turin.
- Built: 1873–1874; work began on 25 June 1873 and the arcade opened on 30 December 1874.
- By: Pietro Carrera, for the Banca dell'Industria Subalpina, which paid for it and gave it its name.
- What it is today: a privately owned arcade with cafés, restaurants, shops and a cinema, open to people walking through.
- Time needed: 15 minutes to walk through and look up; longer if you stop for a coffee.
A bank, a passage and a faithful rebuilding
In the 19th century Turin, like Paris, built glass-roofed passages where the middle classes could shop and stroll out of the rain. The Galleria Subalpina was the city's second, after the Galleria Natta of 1858, which was demolished in 1931. It was designed by Pietro Carrera and financed by the Banca dell'Industria Subalpina. The result is a hall about 50 metres long, 14 metres wide and around 18 metres high, decorated in an eclectic style that mixes Renaissance and Baroque motifs.
From the start the arcade attracted places that became institutions, among them the café Baratti & Milano and, from 1897, the Caffè Concerto Romano, a café with live entertainment that the writer Edmondo De Amicis used to visit and that later became the Nuovo Romano cinema. The galleria was damaged by bombing in the Second World War and rebuilt to the original drawings. A major restoration of its marble, reliefs, green spaces and lighting was completed at the end of 2024, and the arcade has since changed hands to new owners from Turin and Piedmont.
What to look for
- The vault of glass and wrought iron, with richly decorated structural ironwork, best seen from the middle of the hall.
- The balcony that runs round the whole hall at first-floor level and makes the tall space feel lighter.
- The eclectic stucco and relief decoration on the walls, combining Renaissance and Baroque ideas.
- The large central flowerbed, which follows Carrera's original plan for the hall.
- The shopfront of Baratti & Milano, one of Turin's oldest cafés, and the entrance of the Nuovo Romano cinema.
On screen
Film-makers have long liked the arcade. Scenes of Dario Argento's Four Flies on Grey Velvet and Luigi Comencini's La donna della domenica were shot here, and the gallery is one of the Turin locations of The Italian Job (1969), during the famous chase in which the Mini Coopers race through the city centre around Piazza Castello.
Tips for your visit
- Walk through from Piazza Castello to Piazza Carlo Alberto: arriving from the bright square under the glass roof is half the effect.
- Come on a grey or rainy day; the arcade was built exactly for strolling out of the weather.
- Try a bicerin, Turin's layered drink of coffee, chocolate and cream, in one of the historic cafés nearby.
- The arcade is private property with public passage, so be considerate with tripods and large groups.
Nearby
- Piazza Castello: the city's main square with Palazzo Madama and the Royal Palace, right outside the northern entrance.
- Palazzo Carignano: the Baroque palace with its curving brick façade on the far side of Piazza Carlo Alberto, home to the Museum of the Risorgimento.
- Royal Palace of Turin: the former residence of the House of Savoy, a few minutes' walk across Piazza Castello.
- Mole Antonelliana: the tall landmark that houses the National Cinema Museum, a short walk east.
See Turin with World City Trail
Our Turin scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 41 minutes of walking. It includes Turin Cathedral with the Holy Shroud, the Royal Palace and Palazzo Carignano.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Turin.
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Facts checked in October 2026.