Piazza San Carlo is the great Baroque square on Via Roma in the centre of Turin, lined with porticoes and closed at its southern end by two near-identical churches. The Turinese call it the city's salotto, its drawing room, and in the middle stands the equestrian statue of Duke Emanuele Filiberto, known in Piedmontese as the Caval ëd Bronz, the bronze horse.
Piazza San Carlo at a glance
- Where: on Via Roma, halfway between Porta Nuova station and Piazza Castello.
- Created: inaugurated in 1638 as part of the city's expansion to the south; remodelled by Benedetto Alfieri about a century later.
- By: the court architect Carlo di Castellamonte; the equestrian statue is by Carlo Marochetti (1838).
- What it is today: Turin's showpiece square, ringed by historic cafés under the porticoes and used for concerts, celebrations and big screenings.
- Time needed: 20–30 minutes, longer with a coffee under the arcades.
A square built for the Savoy capital
When the Dukes of Savoy moved their capital to Turin in 1563, the small Roman grid of the old town soon became too tight. In the early 17th century the city was extended southwards, and Carlo di Castellamonte designed this square as its centrepiece, with uniform porticoed façades and two churches facing the main street. It was inaugurated in 1638. Over the centuries it changed names with the rulers: Piazza Reale, Piazza d'Armi and, under French rule, Place Napoléon, before settling on San Carlo, after the church of Saint Charles Borromeo.
In 1838 Carlo Marochetti's statue of Emanuele Filiberto was unveiled here, after being shown in Paris. The duke had won the battle of St Quentin in 1557 and then recovered his lands, and the statue shows him on horseback, putting his sword back in its sheath, a symbol of peace after victory. The square has always been where Turin gathers. On 3 June 2017, during a public screening of the Champions League final, a robbery attempt set off a panic and a stampede: three people died and more than 1,600 were injured. A plaque placed in 2019 remembers the victims.
What to look for
- The twin churches: San Carlo begun in 1619 with a façade added in the 19th century, and Santa Cristina, built from 1639 for the regent Maria Cristina of France, with a façade by Filippo Juvarra (1715–1718).
- The statues of saints and virtues on top of Santa Cristina's façade, which Juvarra's design made livelier than its twin.
- The Caval ëd Bronz in the centre: look at the duke sheathing his sword and the bronze reliefs on the pedestal.
- The porticoes on both long sides, with uniform façades that make the square read as one building.
- The small rampant bull, the emblem of Turin, set into the pavement under the arcade in front of Caffè Torino.
The lucky bull
Turin's coat of arms shows a golden bull, and a small bronze one has been set into the pavement in front of Caffè Torino since the 1930s. Superstition says that stepping on the bull's private parts with your heel, sometimes with a spin, brings good luck, which is why that part of the brass is polished bright. It is a light-hearted habit rather than an old tradition, but you will often see a small queue of people trying it.
Tips for your visit
- Walk the full length of the porticoes: they let you cross the square in any weather and pass the historic cafés and pastry shops.
- For the classic photo of the twin churches with the statue in front, stand at the northern end of the square near Via Roma.
- Come in the early evening, when the façades turn golden and the Turinese take their aperitivo under the arcades.
Nearby
- Egyptian Museum: one of the world's great collections of ancient Egyptian art, a few minutes' walk away on Via Accademia delle Scienze.
- Palazzo Carignano: the red-brick Baroque palace by Guarino Guarini where the first Italian parliament met, now home to the Museum of the Risorgimento.
- Piazza Castello and the Royal Palace: the old centre of Savoy power at the northern end of Via Roma.
- Via Roma: the arcaded shopping street that links the square with Porta Nuova station and Piazza Castello.
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. Piazza San Carlo is not one of the stops, but the route includes the Royal Palace, Palazzo Carignano and the Cathedral with the Holy Shroud, all within walking distance of here.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Turin.
Play the Turin scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Turin →
Play the outdoor escape game in Turin →
Facts checked in October 2026.