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Turin » Porta Nuova Station and Surroundings

Piazza San Carlo

Porta Nuova is Turin's main railway station. Most of the visitors who travel by train arrive here. It is located on Corso Vittorio Emanule II, at the end of the elegant Via Roma, leading directly into the historic city centre. The immediate surroundings of the station are a little bit dilapidated and notorious for the presence of prostitutes and various criminals who are roaming the once graceful and beautiful arcades of Vittorio Emanule II and Via Nizza.

A short walk in western direction from Porta Nuova, in Via Magenta, you will find the city's Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art (Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea - GAM). It exhibits a very rich collection of 20th-century work by various artists, including such names as Eduardo Chillida, Giorgio de Chirico and Andy Warhol. There is a separate area devoted to works by the local Torinese School, created during the last two centuries. The gallery is included in the international circuit of traveling exhibitions, which gives it the opportunity to show some very interesting temporary displays too.

The Equestrian Statue of Emanuele Filiberto

Right in front of Porta Nuova Station is located the Piazza Carlo Felice with its beautifully landscaped gardens. From this square, along Via Roma, you can easily reach on foot the historical district of central Turin. Just a short stroll along this street in direction to the city centre, in the middle between Porta Nuova and Piazza Castello is found Piazza San Carlo, a beautiful square with oval shape and an impressive equestrian statue Emanuele Filiberto, a duke of the local Savoy dynasty, holding a sword in his raised hand to celebrate the victory against the French and Spanish troops at San Quintino (1574) and the won independence of Turin. The square is surrounded by splendid Baroque buildings with porticoes housing elegant cafés. The piazza's entrance is flanked by the famous twin churches of San Carlo and Santa Cristina, performed in a flamboyant Baroque architectural style. At the back sides of the churches are the two statues of half-naked lying women, symbolizing the two rivers flowing through Turin - the River Po and the River Dora.

Pharaoh Amenhotep II in
the Egyptian Museum

A couple of steps in eastern direction from San Carlo Square, along Via Maria Vittoria and turning left along Via Giuseppe Luigi Lagrange, you will find your self at the renowned Egyptian Museum of Turin (Museo Egizio). It displays an extremely rich and varied collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts, gathered mainly in the second half of the 18th century by king Carlo Emanuele III, ruler of the kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, which capital was Turin. The exhibition includes heavily decorated mummy cases and a large selection of everyday life's objects, such as remains of clothing and shoes (sandals), food (eggs and grain) and an entire small from temple found in Namibia and built by Pharaoh Tutmosis III. The central place in the display is dedicated to the precious statue of Pharaoh Ramses II and the original reconstruction of the Tomb of Kha and Mirit. The latter was excavated in the beginning of the 20th century and belongs to an ancient Egyptian architect named Kha, who took part in the construction of the royal necropolis, buried together with his wife Mirit around 1400 years before Christ.

The second floor above the Egyptian Museum houses the Sabauda Gallery. Here you can see a remarkable collection of paintings, gathered by the royal House of Savoy. It includes works by the famous Italian schools of Piedmont, Florence, Venice and Bologna, as well as a wide selection of prominent Dutch and Flemish artists. The most interesting between the Italian exhibits the "Archangel Raphael and Tobias", created in the 15th century by the brothers Pollaiuolo. This is an extremely realistic painting representing the serious studies of its authors in the field of anatomy. Even more impressive is the Flemish collections which includes paintings by Rembrandt and van Dyck.

Our favourite hotels near Porta Nuova Railway Station:
Mercure Torino Hotel Crystal Palace ****
Executive Hotel ****
Best Western Hotel Genova ***
Hotel Due Mondi ***
Hotel Urbani ***
Hotel Lancaster ***