by Anthony Parente

Turin Coat of Arms

Turin, which is the capital of the Piedmont region and the fourth largest city in Italy, is located at the foot of the Alps where the Po and the Dora Riparia rivers meet in north western Italy. The city itself was originally founded in pre-Roman times by the Taurini and was initially called Taurisia. During the Roman period it was made a military camp and renamed Augusta Taurinorum.

It wasn't until the 1500s that Turin started to emerge as an important city in Italy and even the world. It was during this time that the Savoy family moved to Turin and made it the official residence of the Savoy's. During the middle of the 16th century Duke Emanuele Filiberto won back his lands by defeating the French at the Battle of San Quintino and in 1563 he made Turin the official capital of the Savoy dynasty.

During the Risorgimento in the 19th century Italy finally became a unified nation and on March 17, 1861 the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed and Turin was named the capital of the newly unified Italy. In 1865 the capital of Italy was moved to Florence for a brief time until 1871 when it was transferred to Rome. It didn't take Turin long to restore its prominence. In 1899 Fiat (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino) was founded and Turin slowly transformed itself into an industrial center and it remains Italy's car manufacturing capital.

There are many interesting facts about Turin that make it an attractive place to visit. Some of the more notable ones include that it is considered by many as the Baroque capital of the world. This is due in part to the many Royal residences, church domes and architectural masterpieces created during the 17th and 18th centuries by architects like, Guarino Guarini and Filippo Juvarra. In 1786 the aperitif was born in Turin when Antonio Benedetto Carpano took white wine and added herbs and spices to it to create vermouth. Many people may not realize this, but Turin has a long tradition for making chocolate. One of the famous drinks in the area is called a bicerin. This was created in the 19th century and it consists of melted chocolate, coffee and milk. If you are looking for chocolate to eat then you will want to try the famous gianduja (gianduia), which is a blend of cocoa, sugar and hazelnuts. Turin was also the birthplace of Italian cinema when Giovanni Pastrone made his groundbreaking feature Cabiria in 1914. Finally, in 2006 Turin will host the XX Olympic Winter Games.

This 16 page Web Guide has information on a variety of topics to help you learn more about this artistically rich city. It also is a great starting place to help you plan your trip to Turin. Each page in this guide will contain the navigational table below so you can effectively navigate to the various sections of this guide.

Turin Resources
Introduction	Cuisine	Entertainment
History	Hotels - 3 Stars	Hotels - 4 Stars
Maps	Monuments	Museums
Photos/Webcams	Practical Info	Religion
Sports	Transportation	Travel/Tourism
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