You may think you know Turin, a city that combines history, art and mystery, but it has many surprising hidden treasures that delight visitors and children.
Turin was the capital of the Kingdom of Italy
The handsome city of Turin, once capital of the Kingdom of Italy, appeals to visitors for its magnificent architecture and monuments such as the majestic Palazzo Castello, the Mole Antonelliana which is the National Museum of Cinema and the Egyptian Museum, second only to the one in Cairo. But the city also has many lesser known and equally fascinating features, like the Slice of Polenta Building, the Vedette Watchtowers, the Devil’s Gate and even a submarine. Hidden treasures and surprising curiosities far from the well-trodden tourist itineraries, that are well worth a detour, and many of which will appeal to younger visitors.
The Slice of Polenta Building
The Slice of Polenta is a curious-looking building in the Vanchiglia district. With its slim and narrow shape it looks like a sharp triangle and has become an icon of Turin’s architecture. Designed by Alessandro Antonelli, who also designed the famous Mole Antonelliana, this mustard yellow building stands out for its bold structure that seems to defy the laws of physics and earned it its name as it looks just like a slice of polenta corn meal.
A submarine and watchtowers
Few people know that Turin also has its own submarine which is under a dome inside the Automobile Museum. This Fiat submarine is a prototype created by the company in the 1930s and tells a forgotten fragment of Turin's industrial history, suspended between innovation and experimentation. Other typical features of Turin are the Vedette, small watchtowers that are scattered here and there around the city, and often are not even noticed by those hurrying past. Originally built for defensive purposes, today they are a reminder of the past that blends into the modern urban landscape.
A colourful open-air museum
Borgo Campidoglio offers a plunge into urban art. This working-class neighbourhood, transformed into an open-air museum, is dotted with murals and installations that enliven the alleys and façades of the houses. And talking of modern references, the Palace with the Piercing certainly stands out, with its enormous ring that pierces the 4th floor of the façade on an 18th-century building in Piazzatta Corpus Domini square not far from Piazza Castello
A mysterious gate and Columbus’ finger
The Devil's Gate is an ancient portal with an enigmatic demonic head in the Piazza Statuto square. Legends and superstitions surround this door, which is said to have been closed by mysterious dark forces. And back again on central Piazza Castello a work by the 19th-century artist Giovanni Battista Bottero has an unraised finger which locals call the Finger of Columbus. They say it represents the finger of the famous navigator, pointing towards new discoveries, as if to remind us that Turin always has an eye on the future.
