Turin
Capital of Piedmont, northwest Italy, at the confluence of the rivers Po and Dora Riparia; population (2001 est) 857,500. It stands at the foot of the Alps, commanding road and rail routes between France and Italy. Turin is Italy's most important industrial centre, producing iron, steel, cars, silk and other textiles, fashion goods, chocolate, and wine. There is a university (1404), and a 15th-century cathedral (of San Giovanni Battista). Turin was the first capital of united Italy (1861–64).
History
Turin was a duchy of the Lombards and became important after the union of Savoy and Piedmont in 1416. It was in French hands in the early 16th century, and its growth as a major city began in 1559 when Emanuele Filiberto chose it as the capital of the House of Savoy, with Italian as the official language. In 1706 Prince Eugène defeated a French army besieging the city, thus ensuring the survival of the Savoy duchy. The city was the capital of the kingdom of Sardinia from 1720 to 1861 (except for 1800–14, when it was held by France). From 1814 to 1860 Turin was the organizing centre of the reunification of Italy. The city was heavily damaged in World War II.
Architecture Turin was distinctively replanned in the 18th and 19th centuries with regular wide streets, parks, and squares. Buildings include the Royal Palace (1646–58); a castle, the Palazzo Madama (15th and 18th centuries), built around old Augustinian ramparts; Palazzo Carignano (1680), where Italy's first king, Victor Emmanuel II, was born; and Roman remains. The Galleria Sabauda, which contains the art collections of the House of Savoy, and the Egyptian Museum, are both housed in Palazzo dell'Accademia delle Scienze, a 17th-century palace by Giovanni Guarini. The brick-built Mole Antonelliana (1863–90), by Alessandro Antonelli (1798–1888), was originally intended as a synagogue, but became a municipal museum in 1876; with its vaulted cupola and spire, it is 167 m/548 ft high. |
Turin
| Province of north Italy in Piedmont region; capital Turin; area 6,830 sq km/2,637 sq mi; population (2000 est) 2,214,300. |
