MAGIC
Turin is said to be the world centre of both black magic (evil) and white magic (good). Occultists say it is one of the three points of the triangle of white magic (with Prague and Lyon) and the triangle of black magic (with London and San Francisco)
What is the secret of so much magic? Synchronic lines, mysterious arteries of energy that intersect precisely in Turin and almost explode at the confluence of two rivers that Turin is built on: the Po and the Dora, which form a ring of water around the city.
MOLE ANTONELLIANA
Originally conceived in 1863 as a synagogue, the Mole Antonelliana is today the symbol of the city of Turin and home to one of the richest and most thrilling displays devoted to the film industry: the National Cinema Museum-Maria Adriana Prolo Foundation. With an exhibition area of 3,200 square metres arranged over 5 floors the museum traces the history of cinema in an exciting framework of theatrical sets, spectacular effects of light and shade and film projections, enriched with designs, sketches and photographs.
To cite a few numbers, the museum holds a library of 7,000 films, 9,000 objets d’art, paintings, old prints, and machinery for taking and projecting films, 125,000 photographic documents, 200,000 posters, more than 200 magic lanterns, 20,000 books and 3,000 magazines.
The high point… A bodice, shoes and jewels worn by Marilyn Monroe as well as unpublished photographs of the actress.
MEDIEVAL HAMLET
Built originally in the Parco del Valentino as a pavilion of the Turin International Exhibition which took place between April and November 1884, the hamlet and medieval fortress form today a museum dedicated to the middle ages. Though the site was in fact destined to be demolished following the event, it was left intact, becoming a museum in 1942.
The hamlet represents a reasonably faithful reproduction of a typical late medieval village with its reconstructed streets, churches, houses, squares, fountains and decorations of the time. It is surrounded by walls and fortifications and topped by a fortress, with access through a gateway tower and several typical active craft shops that have existed ever since 1884.
