Turin, Piedmont

People sometimes ask why we decided on Italy as our destination. As well as the obvious reasons such as culture and cuisine, we chose Italy because of its rich and diverse history.

Technically this is a young country; it has existed only since 1861. In that year many disparate city-states and dukedoms were brought together by the unification – Il Risorgimento – to form the new Kingdom of Italy. At various times there had been hundreds of those independent states, developed and fought over for centuries by immensely wealthy and powerful rulers. Other countries have perhaps a handful of great cities, but almost every Italian city – large or small – was, at some time, a place of great significance in a city-state, republic or independent territory. The elaborate palaces, soaring cathedrals and extraordinary collections of art that are so prevalent here are testament to that. They are the legacy of Italy’s history that we get to enjoy today.

The first capital of Italy was Turin. In 1861 this was a supremely elegant city, a Baroque beauty. Almost 160 years later, Turin has lost none of its charm and style. We were completely taken with this gorgeous city. Turin is not a place to wander and admire; it commands you to stop and stare in awe.

It began as soon as we arrived; this grand dame is the city's main train station, Torino Porta Nuova

It's a monumental building dating back to the year of the unification, 1861

Turin's main square, Piazza Castello and on the right the 16th century Palazzo Reale; the square is lined with museums, theatres and cafes

Designed in the 1550s, the wonderful Via Garibaldi is lined with elegant Renaissance buildings; it's one of the longest pedestrian streets in Europe

It took us a long time to walk the length of Via Garibaldi

There's so much to see and enjoy here

Like this visual feast - Christmas panettone

In the end we stopped for refreshment; Turin is known as the 'home' of Italian chocolate - it's been made here since the 1600s (they say the Swiss came to Turin to learn the art of chocolate making!)

Teatro Carignano, one of Italy's oldest and most important theatres

Palazzo Carignano, originally the private residence of a Prince of the House of Savoy; this is the building's striking western facade

Then you pass through into the central courtyard to discover this ...

... one of the city's most important examples of Baroque architecture

Work on the Palace began in 1679 and took five years to complete; it's impossible not to be impressed

Palazzo Carignano also houses the Museum of the Risorgimento (Unification)

We couldn't get enough of this wonderful building

Just part of the everyday beauty of Turin

A statue of King Carlo Alberto in the piazza also named for him

And another horseman from Greek and Roman mythology in Piazza Castello

Turin's landmark building, the Mole Antonelliana (1863-1889), named after its architect Alessandro Antonelli; a 'mole' in Italian is a building of monumental proportions

The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, home of the famous 'Shroud of Turin'

Believed by many to be the burial cloth of Christ, the Shroud is rarely available for viewing (the last time was in 2015); instead it's held here securely in the cathedral's Chapel of the Holy Shroud

Surprisingly Turin is also the location of one of the world's most important Egyptian museums

Second only to Cairo, the Museo Egizio holds more than 30,000 artefacts

Collecting Egyptian antiques was popular in the 19th century

A number of existing collections were brought together in Turin in 1824 to establish the world's first Egyptian Museum

The church of Gran Madre di Dio (Great Mother of God) on the bank of the River Po

The architecture of the church is reminiscent of the Pantheon in Rome

The design was chosen following a competition

Architecture, art and natural beauty ... Turin has in all, in spades