Guided Tours

TURIN AT A GLANCE

Duration: 2 hours
Features: Orientation walking or cycling tour in the historic city centre
Remarks:
1)If you don’t have your own bike, ask me more details about bike rental
2) the tour is easily accessible for all

Starting from Piazza Castello, you’ll discover the history of the Savoys, the former Italian royal family, thanks to the beauty of their baroque style palaces that were declared world human heritage by Unesco in 1997. From Palazzo Reale to Palazzo Madama, we’ll move to the Cathedral where the Holy Shroud is sheltered.
Some blocks away you’ll be fascinated by the façade of Palazzo Carignano where Italy’s first parliament sat.
Piazza San Carlo, Turin’s elegant drawing room, is just around the corner: that’s where you can have a pleasant stop for tasting a “gianduiotto”, the famous local chocolate praline.
The tour ends close to the river Po to admire one of the city’s most remarkable symbols, the Mole Antonelliana.
Intended as a synagogue when it was started in 1863, this extraordinary structure houses the National Cinema Museum.

PANORAMIC TOUR

Duration: 3 hours
Features: orientation tour by private bus/car; by bike the tour lasts approximately 4 hours
Remarks: the tour is accessible for motor disabilities

If you don’t want to walk too long, this tour suits you perfectly!
From the city centre we’ll move to the residential area, the so called “collina”, hillside, along the river Po, where you can take wonderful pictures of the Alps skyline surrounding Turin.
A stop at the quaint Borgo Medievale in the Valentino Park is a must see: built in 1884 it has everything you would expect to find in a 15th century Piedmontese village.
Driving south we’ll reach the Lingotto former Fiat factory dating back to 1920. Inspired by Ford’s assembly line plant in Detroit, Lingotto was converted by architect Renzo Piano into a multifunctional center. Piano has worked his magic on the 1 km long roof, the former test track, where the painting gallery Pinacoteca Agnelli and the Green Bubble can be found.
Last but not least, have a relaxing moment inside “Eataly”, the gourmet temple by Slow Food just next to Lingotto.
The food and wine department store offers a rich selection of Italian high quality products.

TURIN FOR MUSEUMS LOVERS

Turin’s art and culture can count on 45 museums not considering temporary exhibitions.
You can be spoiled for choice! Due to the wide proposal, it is not possible to list and describe all the tours and museums.

Here are some suggestions, just to mention a few (accessible for motor disabilities except for Museo Pietro Micca):

• Polo Reale: in the former Royal Palace you can visit non only the apartments but also the Royal Armoury, the collection of Galleria Sabauda and the Archeological Museum;
• Royal Residences: choose a tour in one of the former summer and hunting royal residences (Villa della Regina, Reggia di Venaria, Palazzina di Stupinigi, etc) to better understand the architectural project of the so called “crown of delights”;
• Egyptian Museum: the second largest collection of Egyptian artefacts in the world after Cairo Museum;
• Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento: housed inside the curvy red-brick Palazzo Carignano, it’s highly recommended for those who are steeped in the 19th century Italian history during the glorious events of Risorgimento (tactile itinerary);
• The National Cinema Museum and The National Automobile Museum (Mauto): both designed by the Swiss architect François Confino, they boast two brilliant and interactive exhibitions. The rich collection of the first one is located in the bizarre Mole Antonelliana and includes films, original scripts, props, costumes, movie cameras,etc making it one of the most important in the world. The second was completely renovated in 2011 and offers a huge selection of car models from the second half of 1800 up to the most modern concept cars and prototypes (tactile itinerary);
• MAO - Museo Arti Orientali: located in the heart of Quadrilatero Romano district, this elegant museum displays its works of art in an ancient noble palace. Be prepared to a virtual journey through fascinating oriental cultures, from India to China from Japan to Islam;
• Museo delle Arti Decorative: this private museum belonging to the Foundation Accorsi-Ometto looks like a box of jewels. The 27 rooms hold hundreds of rarities from the 18th century including inlaid furnishings by Pietro Piffetti, sniff boxes, coffee and chocolate pots, dinner sets and hunting scenes paintings by Cignaroli;
• Museo Civico Pietro Micca: a tiny museum with incredible underground countermine tunnels dating back to 17th century and to the siege of 1706.