10 secrets of Turin almost no one knows
Turin has always fascinated me, so full of history, legends and with its contradictions. Turin is part of our history, the Italian History. Turin was the first capital of the newly born Italy, then the title went to Florence and finally to Rome in 1870. Italian television was born in Turin, just like cars. According to a famous legend, Turin it’s part of two mystic triangles: a black magic one including London and San Francisco and a white magic one, this time including Praga and Lyon. At the points of convergence of this magic, there would be two hearts, a black one in Piazza Statuto and a white one in Piazza Castello. What does it all mean? Discover it clicking the below button Next >
1.Piazza Statuto: the Black Heart of Turin
This square is generally considered to be full of negative energies, probably because of the story of the roman encampment that had once occupied the area. In this encampment there was a scaffold, for executions. This was not accidental: the square is in the West area of Turin, were the sun sets and darkness sets in first. The actual source of negativity is said to be the Fountain of Frejus, a monument erected in memory of those fallen during the war and commissioned by the Duke of Veglio. This fountain has the shape of a pyramid made with the rocks from the Frejus Tunnel, at the tops of which stands a winged genie, a pentagon on his head – the pentagon being Turin’s symbol. Behind this fountain there is a tiny obelisk and the statue of an angel on top of that is said to represent Lucifer. Some people also believe Piazza Statuto to be the door of Hell, this being the manhole at the obelisk’s feet. According to the legend, this should be at least one of the many entrances to Hell – the small distance between the fountain and the obelisk the main crossing of the roads to Hell.
2. Piazza Castello: the white heart of Turin
Castello is the main square of the city, near Palazzo Madame, the Royal Palace of the ex-royal House of Savoy facing North. The façade of the palace was once a roman door, Porta Decumana and it was the only entrance to the city; subsequently it became a fortress, then a proper castle. It underwent major changes during the XVII century by the orders of two Savoy ladies, they wanted to better the façade and this new look gave the palace its new name of Palazzo Madame, in honor of the two women. Rumor has it that underneath the palace there once were caves, tunnels and galleries used by alchemists looking for the Philosopher’s Stone. As for today, nothing has been found, except the obvious tunnels common to every castle, to corroborate this legend. Contrary to Piazza Statuto, Piazza Castello is known for its positive energies, the main source being between the statues of Castor and Pollux, where in the past centuries, the Shroud of Turin would be sometimes on display. Maybe this is the true reason behind the White Heart stories.
.
3.Gran Madre’s Mysteries
The cupola of this church has an unusual shape: it’s open which is quite a pagan design. Gran Madre is believed to be a place full of positive energies. The Shroud of Turin rests inside this cathedral and its generally considered the ultimate source of all the positive energies of the city. Outside the church there is the Faith Statue which gave rise to beliefs about its pointing at the Sacred Graal hiding spot – the statue holds a chalice. Of course, nothing has been found.
4.Turin’s Pentagon
According to some, linking the five Savoy palaces will form a pentagon on the map. These residences – each said to represent a natural element – are: the Palace of Venaria, fire; the Basilica of Superga, earth; Moncalieri Castle, iron; the little palace of Stupingi water and Rivoli Castle the wind. Everything happens for a reason, they say.
5.Turin and Ancient Egypt
In 1824 the first Egyptian Museum in history was built in Turin and today its the second most important one after the that in Cairo. Why did they build it here? What’s inside it? What about the legends surrounding it? The story of the museum dates back to centuries ago, when Bernardo Dovetti, while following Napoleon in Egypt, found lots of archeological evidences. He collected these items and offered them as a gift to Charles Felix of Sardinia. In a second moment, more items were collected by the Italian archeologist Ernesto Schiapparelli who also served as the first museum director until 1928. Inside the museum, the main attraction is the temple given by the United Arab Emirates to thank the Italian archeologists who helped during the excavations in Nubia (currently Sadan) shortly before building the Assuan dam. The statues of Ramses II and Thutmose III are also notable. In case you didn’t know, the museum counts up to 37thousand items, but only 3300 are currently on exhibition. Quite the treasure.
6. Il Parco del Valentino
This park is at the center of the city. Full of art, but also legends such as those regarding the Fountain of Twelve Months, built in 1898 for the Expo of that year. They say it was built slightly pending on one side, like the soil of river Po. At each side of the fountain, there’s a statue, representing the river Po and river Dora respectively. Some believe that Turin’s dual nature is caused by its being divided by two rivers. This is a duality of elements and energies, mingling together just like the waters of the fountain. Inside the park you will also find a castle of the same name, Valentino and beside being a fascinating place rich of history, it hosted a racing cars contest for twenty years, between 1935 and 1955. Keeping on walking, we could reach the spot from where Ascari, a Formula Uno world champion, started the engines of his Lancia on March 27 1955. He won the race, but that was the last one held here in the park.
7. La Mole Antonelliana
With a height of 168 meters, this building is part of Turin’s skyline and a national symbol – you can find it engraved on the 2 cent coins. It’s generally believed that from its top, white positive energies spread to all the city. The Mole collapsed twice, never causing a death. Inside of it there is the Museum of Cinema, after all, Italian Cinema was born in Turin. The museum offers quite a collection of over two thousands items and memorabilia such as Star Wars’ helmets, Marylin Monroe’s jewels, Superman’s cape and the hat that Fellini used to wear. One can also get a break, sit on one of the red recliners and enjoy the perpetual projection of a movie. The museum also houses the original statue of Moloch, an ancient divinity used as the main character of the movie Cabiria directed by Giovanni Pastore in 1913, screenplay by Gabriele D’Annunzio: and the Italian Cinema was born.
8. Underground Turin
Turin’s undergrounds are vast, but not all interconnected. Churches’ underground tunnels, army tunnels built in the XVIII century and the shelters from the great wars. The purpose of these galleries are quite obvious: protecting the refugees, moving the army, giving a chance to noblemen and prelates to meet without witnesses.
9. The Market of Porta Palazzo
One of the oldest marketplaces in Turin. During the restoration of 2006 it was discovered it was full of ancient ruins. Inside the modern mall, there is the Centro Palatino, its igloo-shaped cupola being a mixture of modern and ancient elements. Back in the past, it served as the city fridge, it was considered the cold heart of Turin. The ice brought in by the Alps would be stored inside the cupola where the food would be put in order to preserve it.
10.The Hill of Superga
Superga is the mausoleum of the House of Savoy. But it’s also been the protagonist of a shocking event: on May 4 1949 an airplane crashed against the Basilica’s walls. On board there were 32 passengers: the players of Torino soccer team, journalists and the technical team. The weather was horrible that day. They were flying back from Lisbon where they’d just disputed a friendly match. From that day on, the name of Superga has always been associated to that of the football team, a legendary one that would bring all Italy together. As a last minute solution, the heads of Torino society decided to have the Under-21 team play, after all the Italian Championship was still going on. As a sign of respect, all the other football societies deployed their Under-21 teams, to make the competition a fair one. Behind the Basilica there’s the monument built in memory of the football players gone too soon.
Discover also the most romantic places in Turin clicking here
