Turin

Italy’s Francophile Turin overflows with political and cultural historical sites

It's often said that Turin is the most French city in Italy. The reason is partly historic and partly architectural: From the late 13th century to Italy's unification in 1861 (when the city served very briefly as capital), Turin was the capital of the House of Savoy, as French as it was Italian. The city's Francophile 17th- and 18th-century architects laid out broad avenues and airy piazzas, lining them with low-slung neoclassical buildings.

Later, the Italian Communist Party was born here on the Fiat factory floor under the leadership of poet Antonio Gramsci, though that same factory floor also gave rise to the ultraradical Red Brigades terrorist group in the 1970s.

Most visitors travel to Turin with business in mind, but those who take the time to look around the historic center will find an elegant and sophisticated city that has changed little since more gracious centuries, with some fine museum collections and the charm of a place that, for all its Francophile leanings, is perhaps northern Italy’s most pleasant big city.

© 2009, Wiley Publishing, Inc.