Surroundings of Piazza Castello – Turin
Further north, Via Roma runs through the centre of Turin, passing along the way objects crucial for the history of the Savoy dynasty and the unification of Italy. In the Palazzo Carignano with two facades, birthplace of Victor Emmanuel II, houses the Museo del Risorgimento (Tue-Sat. 9.00-18.00, Nd. 9.00-12.00; 3000 L, Nd. Free entrance). It is worth visiting here even for a few minutes, even when such museums are usually avoided. Turin was, after all, the focal point of the whole movement and the first capital of a united Italy., before transferring it to Rome. The first sittings of the Italian Parliament were held in the round Hall of the Subalpine Parliament, and the building was the center of power for leaders like Cavour, who removed the more radical Garibaldi to the island of Caprera, near Sardinia. So it's ironic that, that the most interesting section of the museum concerns Garibaldi. There are portraits showing him as a dirty and bearded revolutionary., as well as some of his clothes: decorative fez, long striped scarf and one of the famous red shirts. He started wearing these shirts while in South America., where, participating in various wars of independence, he perfected his military skills. Later, these shirts became part of the uniform of the army of a thousand volunteers recruited by him., which took Sicily and southern Italy from the Bourbons.
History did not convey to us the opinion of Victor Emmanuel II about this eccentrically dressed revolutionary, who provided him with half of the kingdom. Undoubtedly, however, the royal residence, Royal Palace (Tue-Sun. 9.00-13.30; guided tour only; 3000 L), would not make a good impression on Garibaldi. This typically newly-rich palace occupies the entire north side of the busy Piazza Castello. Monotonous, apricot façade hides gilded from floor to ceiling, rooms decorated with monumental allegories. There you can find a collection of funny porcelain, which depicts lions, cockerels and fat, laughing Chinese; there is also tableware consisting of a thousand elements and an extremely untasteful Meissen vase, inlaid with golf balls and shiny birds. Hidden behind the left wing of the palace, The seventeenth-century church of San Lorenzo is maintained in a similarly exaggerated style. The temple was designed by Guarini, who was also the architect of Palazzo Carignano. San Lorenzo contains a series of semicircular chapels, and the culmination of the whole structure is a spiral, supporting on the arcades dome decorated with variegated marble, Frescoes, garlands and statuettes.
It is worth saving some time and strength for a walk through the gardens and a visit to Palazzo Madama, located opposite the church and much nicer than it. The building consists of a defensive castle from the thirteenth-fifteenth centuries., and the impressive Baroque façade added to it was designed by an architect working at the beginning of the eighteenth century named Juvara, which also changed the character of the entire square and the many streets leading to it. Currently, due to conservation works, the palace is closed and does not look like it will open. However, if it were open, it is worth paying attention to the authentic furniture and frescoes, and visit the Museo Civico del'Arte Antico. It has exhibits as diverse as early Christian gold jewelry., eastern ceramics, famous Portrait of an Unknown Man by Antonello da Messina, or an inlaid Gothic chest of drawers.
Opposite Palazzo Madama is armeria Reale (Tue-Fri. 9.00-14.00 and 14.30-19.00, Sb. 9.00-14.00; guided visit; 3000 L). This one of the world's richest collections of weapons was founded in the year 1837 by King Charles Albert. The harvest covers a period of seven centuries, and the exhibits come from several continents. The greatest pride of the museum is the stuffed horse of the king, standing among display cases filled with white and firearms. There is also a gallery of armor and a chilling collection of Eastern weapons., containing m.in. extremely decorative Turkish kindjals and menacing Japanese masks.
Right next to Palazzo Reale is the Museo del Cinema. It is, just like Palazzo Madama, closed for some time. There is also no indication of this, to be opened in the near future. However, in the nearby, uninteresting Duomo itself, the Shroud of Turin is stored, "the fruit of the most outstanding falsification in history". This is a piece of material, having a photographic reflection of the body of a man. Thought, that it was with this shroud that Christ was wrapped after being taken down from the cross and laid in the tomb. This one of the most famous medieval relics made headlines in the year 1989, when three independent expert opinions (made using the carbon method by scientists from three different universities) ended with the declaration of inauthenticity. It turned out, that it was made in years 1260-1390, which did not explain, however, how this forgery was carried out. The shroud itself cannot be seen: it is stored in a closed, erected by Guarini in the year 1668 chapel. Towering over it is a fanciful spire—the only notable architectural element in the cathedral.. However, you can see an exact photograph of the shroud, which clearly depicts the face of a bearded man crowned with thorns, Scars, which was to leave a double whip, spear wounds and injuries, that may have arisen while carrying the cross.
In front of the cathedral you can see the only remains from the period, when Turin was a small Roman colony. These are the modest ruins of the theater and two magnificent sixteen-sided towers forming a gate called Porta Palatina. In the background you can see the next Juvara project, vast Piazza della Repubblica, but his grand plan is today disturbed by the market buildings. The market takes place every day, but the square is most lively on Saturday, when during the flea market (Balloon) fortune-tellers appear here (Turin enjoys the fame of the Italian center of the occult) and illegal traffickers.
Behind Piazza della Repubblica is Santuario della Consolata, the most impressive church in Turin. It was built according to Guarini's design (the richly decorated altar is the work of Juvara) to commemorate the ancient statue of the Madonna. This is Santa Maria della Consolata, city caretaker. Adjacent to the white and pink neoclassical façade are shops with votive offerings, which the more pious Thuringians buy and offer to the statue stored in the old crypt in the underground.