Turin, the capital of the Piedmont region, is located at the confluence of the Po and Dora Riparia rivers, at the foot of the hills, serving as an important communication hub between the Alps, the Po Valley, and the Ligurian Sea. Founded at the request of Emperor Augustus, the city played a strategic role during the imperial period. Over its long history, Turin was under Lombard rule in the 6th century and later under the Franks led by Charlemagne. In 1176, it became a commune and remained under the jurisdiction of the Duchy of Savoy. Between 1861 and 1864, Turin served as the first capital of the unified Kingdom of Italy.

The city is renowned for hosting FIAT’s headquarters and for being the filming location of iconic movies such as “The Italian Job” (1969), starring Michael Caine, and “Deep Red” (1975), directed by Dario Argento. Turin is also the birthplace of major Italian companies like Lavazza, Cirio, SAI, Lancia, Italdesign (Giugiaro), Bertone, Pininfarina, as well as prominent banks such as Istituto Bancario San Paolo di Torino (now Sanpaolo IMI) and Martini. Additionally, the city is a key hub for the aerospace industry through Alenia.

Visitors to Turin can enjoy a rich historical and architectural heritage. Highlights include:

The Residences of the House of Savoy – featuring the Royal Palace, the official residence of the Dukes of Savoy until 1865, alongside other palaces and castles in and around Turin;

Chiablese Palace, Villa della Regina, Valentino Castle, and Madama Palace;

Mole Antonelliana, one of the city’s iconic landmarks;

The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, home to The Shroud of Turin, a cloth bearing the image of a man believed to have been Jesus Christ;

The Egyptian Museum, housing the second most valuable collection of Egyptian artifacts in the world, after Cairo;

Art galleries featuring works by Leonardo da Vinci, Antonello da Messina, Andrea Mantegna, and foreign artists like Van Eyck and Rembrandt.

Turin hosts numerous annual festivals and events, including:

Festival delle Colline;

The International Jazz Festival of Turin;

Traffic Torino Free Festival, a prominent musical event;

The International Festival of Contemporary Art (November);

Terra Madre, a culinary event attracting over 1,000 chefs;

VIEW Conference and VIEWFest, focused on 3D technology and digital cinema;

Luci D’artista Festival, where contemporary artists create light installations for the Christmas season, running from November to mid-January.

Turin is well-connected by several airlines, including TAROM, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, ITA Airways, Wizz air, Turkish Airlines, and Vueling Airlines.