Page 4 - Italian-American Herald - February 2025

4 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | FEBRUARY 2025 ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
TURIN
Special Olympics: ‘Cradle of Italian liberty’ to welcome 1,500 athletes
Continued from front page
the site for competition in floorball, figure
skating and short track skating while nearby
Sestiere, part of the metropolitan area of
the city, will be the venue for alpine skiing
and snowshoeing events. Bardonecchia,
in the upper Susa Valley of metropolitan
Turin, will be the setting for dance sport
and snowboarding events and Pragelato will
feature cross country skiing. In all the event
expects to welcome over 100,000 spectators,
more than 1,000 coaches and worldwide
media coverage.
With so many visitors flocking to Turin in
March, the city will have a chance to reveal
many other historical and natural treasures
that will interest and delight visitors attending
the games and for those visiting Italy at other
times of the year.
The city evokes more of an image of Paris
than an Italian city with wide cobblestone
avenues, luxurious Baroque and Art Nouveau
buildings and a promenade along the Po
River. It is located halfway between Milan
and the French border and surrounded by
the Western Alpine arch. Turin was ruled
for centuries by the French Savoy family
and was the first capital of united Italy from
1861 until 1865. The city has since gained
prominence as the home of the Shroud of
Turin, as the birthplace of Fiat and vermouth
and the site of the second-largest Egyptian
museum in the world as well as many other
places of historical and cultural significance.
Turin is sometimes referred to as “the
cradle of Italian liberty” for having been
the political and intellectual center of the
Risorgimento that led to the unification of
Italy. The city became a major European
crossroad for industry, commerce, and trade,
and is part of the industrial triangle along
with Milan and Genoa. It is ranked third in
Italy, after Milan and Rome, for economic
strength.
It has a rich culture and history, and
is known for its numerous art galleries,
restaurants, churches, palaces, opera houses,
piazze, parks, gardens, theatres, libraries,
museums, and much more. Its architecture
spans from Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical to
Art Nouveau and many of its public squares,
castles, gardens, and elegant palazzi, were
built between the 16th and 18th centuries.
The architectural symbol of Turin is the
Mole Antonelliana. It began as a synagogue in
1863 under the direction of Italian architect
Alessandro Antonelli and was completed
in 1897 by the city council as the site of
a museum honoring the Risorgimento.
Between 1878 and 1880, a 168-meter-tall
spire was added which made it the most
recognizable landmark of Turin’s skyline.
It was destroyed by a tornado in 1953 but
was rebuilt with the original design in 1961.
Today the tower offers spectacular 360-degree
views across the city to the surrounding hills
The Alpine Village of Sestiere near Turin will once again host Olympic events. | ADOBE
The Holy Shroud of Turin housed inside St. John the Baptist Cathedral. | ADOBE
and the Savoy Alps.
The Mole Antonelliana now houses the
National Cinema Museum, tracing the film
industry’s origins to the modern day through
interactive exhibits packed with memorabilia
and cinematography equipment.
The Shroud of Turin at the
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
is a must-see for visitors who
may also want to learn more
about its history by spending
some time at the Museo della
Sindone which explains the
history of the shroud.
Turin is also home to much of
the Italian automotive industry,
hosting the headquarters of Fiat,
Lancia, and Alfa Romeo. Fiat was
founded in 1899 as the Società
Anonima Fabbrica Italiana
Automobili Torino. Giovanni
Agnelli was on the board of directors,
but quickly distinguished himself as the
company’s innovator and became managing
director of Fiat in 1902.
In 1900, the first Fiat factory opened in
Corso Dante, with a workforce of 150 people
who produced 24 cars in the first year. When
Italy hosted the first Car Tour of the country,
nine Fiats crossed the finish line. In 1908 Fiat
opened its first company in the United States.
In 1908 a Fiat was a luxury item but
in 1957 it was produced as an affordable,
compact city car for the masses in post-war
Italy. From the mid-1960s to the 1990s Fiat
began to acquire other well-known Italian
brands such as Lancia, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo,
and Maserati. As such it is noted as the
The FIAT 500 Topolino was featured in the 1953 film
“Roman Holiday.” | PINTEREST
automobile capital of Italy and has often been
compared to its “twin city” Detroit.
Since the beginning of the 20th century,
Fiat cars have been chosen by global
film makers as a model representation of
Italian lifestyle and culture in their movies,
documentaries, and commercials. Who
could forget the 1953 film “Roman Holiday,”
which featured several Fiats in multiple
scenes? Perhaps the best known is the Fiat
500 Topolino in which Gregory Peck takes
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