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Turin

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: European Geography

                           Comune di Torino
                   Coat of arms of Comune di Torino
   Municipal coat of arms
   Country                            Italy Italy
   Region                             Piedmont
   Province                           Turin (TO)
   Mayor                              Sergio Chiamparino ( The Union)
   Elevation                          240 m
   Area                               130 km²
   Population
    - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 902,255
    - Density                         6928/km²
   Time zone                          CET, UTC+1
   Coordinates                        45°04′N 7°40′E
   Gentilic                           Torinesi
   Dialing code                       011
   Postal code                        10100
   Patron                             St. John the Baptist
    - Day                             June 24
                     Website: www.comune.torino.it

   Turin ( Italian: Torino; Piedmontese: Turin) is a major industrial city
   as well as a business and cultural centre in northwest Italy, capital
   of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the west bank of the Po
   River. The population of the city of Turin is 908,000 ( 2004 census);
   its metropolitan area totals about 1.7 million inhabitants. The
   province is one of the largest in Italy, with 6,830 km² (2,637 sq. mi),
   and one of the most populous, with 2,236,941 inhabitants at the 2004
   census. Turin is well-known as the home of the Shroud of Turin,
   headquarters of Fiat automobile manifacturer and host of the 2006
   Winter Olympics. It was the first capital of Italy.

History

   The name of Turin comes from Tau, a Celtic word that means mountains.
   Its Italian name, Torino, translates as "little bull"; hence the coat
   of arms and the symbol of the city. The area was settled by the Taurini
   in pre-Roman times.

   In the 1st century BC (probably 28 BC), the Romans created a military
   camp (Castra Taurinorum), later dedicated to Augustus (Augusta
   Taurinorum). The typical Roman street grid can still be seen in the
   modern city. Turin reached about 5,000 inhabitants at the time, all
   living inside the high walls.

   After the fall of the Roman empire the city was conquered by the
   Lombards, then the Franks; in 942 the Contea di Torino ("Countship of
   Turin"), was founded, since 1050 held by the family of the (then)
   Counts of Savoy. While the dignity of count was held by the Bishop as
   conte di Turino, 1092-1130 and 1136 - 1191, it was ruled as a
   prince-bishopric by the Bishops. It was a lordship 1230 - 1235 under
   the Marchese di Monferrato, styled Signore di Torino ('Lord')

   At the end of the 13th century, when it was annexed to the Duchy of
   Savoy, the city already had 20,000 inhabitants. Many of the gardens and
   palaces were built in the 15th century when the city was redesigned.
   The University was also founded during this period.

   Emanuele Filiberto (Iron Head) made Turin the capital of the Duchy of
   Savoy in 1563. Piazza San Carlo, via Po and the Royal Palace (Palazzo
   Reale) were built in this period.

   In 1706 the French besieged the city for 117 days without conquering it
   ( Battle of Turin). After the subsequent Treaty of Utrecht, the Kingdom
   of Sardinia was annexed to the Duchy of Savoy and the architect Filippo
   Juvarra began a major redesign of the city. Now the capital of a
   European kingdom, Turin had about 90,000 inhabitants at the time.

   In the 19th century, after brief occupation by Napoleon, the city began
   to actively pursue the unification of Italy. In 1871, the Fréjus Tunnel
   was opened, making Turin an important communication node. The city now
   had 250,000 inhabitants. The Museo Egizio, the Mole Antonelliana, the
   Gran Madre church and Vittorio Veneto square were built in this period.

   In 1861, Turin became the capital of the newly proclaimed United Italy.
   In 1865 the capital was moved to Florence. (Since 1870 the capital has
   been Rome.) Turin reacted to the loss of importance by beginning a
   rapid industrialisation: in 1899 FIAT was founded and Lancia in 1906.
   The Universal Exposition held in Turin in 1902 is often considered the
   pinnacle of Art Nouveau design, and the city hosted the Exposition
   again in 1911. By this time, Turin had grown to 430,000 inhabitants.

   After World War I conflicts between workers and industrialists began.
   The first strikes took place and in 1920 the Lingotto factory was
   occupied.

   After World War II Turin was rapidly rebuilt and its industries greatly
   developed, which caused waves of immigration, largely from the southern
   regions of Italy. The population reached 1 million in 1960 and peaked
   at 1.5 million in 1975. In the 1980s the first industrial crisis hit
   the city and its population began to decline (and continues to, while
   the metropolitan area grows). The 2005 population is 908,000.

   Turin is also the home city for two of the most popular football clubs
   in the world: Juventus F.C, founded in 1897 as the first team of the
   city and the Torino F.C., well known for the glorious and tragic
   history of the Grande Torino. Torino F.C. celebrated his 100th birthday
   on the 3rd December 2006.

Law and government

   The mayor of Turin is directly elected every 5 years. Sergio
   Chiamparino, the current mayor, belongs to the centre-left coalition.

   See also: List of mayors of Turin

Geography and climate

   View over Turin.
   Enlarge
   View over Turin.
   View by night.
   Enlarge
   View by night.
   Astronaut photo of Turin.
   Enlarge
   Astronaut photo of Turin.

   Turin is located in northwest Italy. It is surrounded on the western
   and northern front by the Alps and on the southern front by the hills
   of Monferrato. Four major rivers pass through the city: the Po and two
   of its tributaries, the Dora Riparia (from the Celtic duria meaning
   "water," later changed to "Duria Minor" by the Romans), the Stura di
   Lanzo, and the Sangone.

   The Piedmont region is mainly characterised by a continental kind of
   climate with a considerable range of temperature both daily and
   annually, since the region is protected from marine influence.

   The winters are cold and dry, the summers are cool in the hills and
   quite hot in the plains. During the winter and autumn months banks of
   fog, which are sometimes very thick, form in the plains.

   Within these limits the climate can be divided into three types: the
   alpine climate, the Padano climate and the peripheral Piedmontese
   climate.

   As regards the average temperatures recorded in the area, the climate
   is not directly related to the altitude, given that the wider alpine
   basins often have average winter temperatures more or less the same as
   those of the plains and summer averages that are not very different .
   It is increasingly common for absolute minimum temperatures to be
   recorded in the plains, in residential areas.^

Demographics

   The population of Turin only grew by 0.88% during the last 3 years, due
   to very low birth rates. Around 16.4% of the population is under 14
   years of age, while those of retirement age are 18.8%.

   The city and its suburban areas have seen an increase in immigration
   from Europe and other continents. While the inhabitants remain
   overwhelmingly Italian (96.1%), the city now has large groups of
   immigrants such as Romanians: 2.3%, Moroccans: 1.5%, Peruvians: 0.5%,
   Albanians: 0.4%, and others.

Economy

   Today the city is a major industrial centre, where the headquarters and
   main production lines of the car company Fiat are located. The city is
   home to the Lingotto building, which was at one time the largest car
   factory in the world, and now houses a convention centre, a concert
   hall, an art gallery, a shopping centre and a hotel. Other companies
   founded in Turin are Invicta (1821), Lavazza, Martini, Kappa and the
   chocolate factory Caffarel.

   Turin is also well known for its aerospace industry ( Alenia ). The
   Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules for the International Space Station
   were produced in Turin. The future European launcher projects beyond
   Ariane 5 will also be managed from Turin, by the new NGL company, a
   subsidiary of EADS (70%) and Finmeccanica (30%).

   Turin is also the birthplace of some of the country's main companies,
   such as Telecom Italia (telecommunications), ( Rai (television), and
   cinema. Most of these industries have since moved their headquarters to
   other parts of Italy, but Turin still retains the National Museum of
   Cinema (in the Mole Antonelliana building).

Transportation infrastructure

   The town currently has a large number of rail and road work sites.
   Although this activity has increased as a result of the 2006 Winter
   Olympics, parts of it had long been planned. Some of the work sites
   deal with general roadworks to improve traffic flow, such as
   underpasses and flyovers, but two projects are of major importance and
   will change the shape of the town radically.

   One is the 'Spina' ('spine') which includes the doubling of a major
   railroad crossing the town. The railroad previously ran in a trench,
   which will now be covered by a major boulevard. The town rail station
   on this line will become the main station of Turin ('Porta Susa').

   The other major project is the construction of a subway line based on
   the VAL system, known as Metrotorino. This project is expected to
   continue for years and to cover a larger part of the town, but its
   first phase was finished in time for the Olympic Games (inaugurated on
   4 February 2006 and opened to the public the day after). This first leg
   of the subway system links the nearby town of Collegno with the Porta
   Susa station in Turin's town centre; the next leg extending the service
   to the 'Porta Nuova' railway station is expected by June 2007. This
   underground transportation project has historical importance for Turin,
   as the town has dreamed of an underground line for decades, the first
   project dating as far back as the twenties. In fact, the main street in
   the town centre ('Via Roma') runs atop a tunnel built during the
   fascist era (when 'Via Roma' was built). The tunnel was supposed to
   host the underground line but is now used as an underground car park. A
   project to build an underground system was ready in the seventies, with
   government funding for it and for similar projects in Milan and Rome;
   whilst the other two cities went ahead with the projects, Turin local
   government led by mayor Diego Novelli shelved the proposal as it
   believed it to be too costly and unnecessary, but that only meant more
   funding for Rome and Milan.

Main sights

                                                      The Palatine Towers.
                                                                   Enlarge
                                                      The Palatine Towers.

                                                    The Mole Antonelliana.
                                                                   Enlarge
                                                    The Mole Antonelliana.

                                                    The Mole Antonelliana.
                                                                   Enlarge
                                                    The Mole Antonelliana.

                                       The Basilica di Superga near Turin.
                                                                   Enlarge
                                       The Basilica di Superga near Turin.

                                       The Basilica di Superga near Turin.
                                                                   Enlarge
                                       The Basilica di Superga near Turin.

                                         The façade of Palazzo Carignano.
                                                                   Enlarge
                                         The façade of Palazzo Carignano.

                         The Gran Madre Church from the Mole Antonelliana.
                                                                   Enlarge
                         The Gran Madre Church from the Mole Antonelliana.

                                           Sunset on the Po River in Turin
                                                                   Enlarge
                                           Sunset on the Po River in Turin

   The best known building of the city is the Mole Antonelliana, which
   houses the National Cinema Museum.

   The Palatine Towers are among the best preserved Roman remains in
   northern Italy.

   The Cathedral of St John the Baptist houses the Shroud of Turin, an old
   linen cloth with an imprint of a man, which is believed by many to be
   the cloth that covered Jesus in his grave.

   The Museo Egizio has the most important collection of Egyptian
   antiquities in the world after the Cairo Museum.

   Turin has buildings of great historical and architectural interest: the
   Savoy Residences. In addition to the Royal Palace (the official
   residence of the Savoys until 1865) there are many palaces, residences
   and castles in the city centre and in the surrounding towns. Turin is
   home to Palazzo Chiablese, the Royal Armoury, the Royal Library,
   Palazzo Madama, Palazzo Carignano, Villa della Regina, and the
   Valentino Castle.

   The complex of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy in Turin and
   in the nearby cities of Rivoli, Moncalieri, Venaria, Agliè, Racconigi,
   Stupinigi, Pollenzo and Govone was declared in 1997 a World Heritage
   Sites by UNESCO.

   In the hills overlooking the city is the basilica church of Superga,
   providing a view of Turin against a backdrop of the snow-capped Alps.
   The basilica holds the tombs of many of the dukes of Savoy, as well as
   many of the kings of Sardinia. Superga can be reached by means of the
   Superga Rack Railway from the suburb of Sassi.

   The city was the film set of the 1969 film The Italian Job and Deep Red
   ( 1975), directed by Italian horror filmmaker Dario Argento.

Universities

     * University of Turin ( Università degli Studi di Torino)
     * Politecnico di Torino
     * Istituto Europeo di Design

Turin World Book Capital

   After Alexandria, Madrid, New Delhi, Antwerp and Montreal, Turin has
   been chosen by UNESCO as World Book Capital for the year 2006. The
   International Book Fair is one of the most important fairs of its kind
   in Europe.

   From April 2006 to April 2007 Turin will host a festival called "Signs
   of Writing" that will include a wide array of events, workshops,
   seminars, debates, and performances.

Sport

Rowing

   Turin was the city where the FISA (international rowing federation) was
   born in 1892.

Football

   The city is famous for two very successful football teams: Juventus
   F.C. (founded 1897), and Torino F.C. (founded 1906).

   In 1949, a plane carrying the whole Torino F.C. team (at that time the
   most important in Europe and known as the Grande Torino) hit the church
   of Superga, on the Turin hills. Valentino Mazzola (one of the best
   Italian players of all times), father of Ferruccio and Sandro Mazzola
   (who were later to become football champions) was among those who died.

Olympic Games

   Turin was the host of the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Other international championships hosted

   1959
          I Summer Universiade

   1970
          VI Summer Universiade

   2006
          37th Chess Olympiad
          World Fencing Championship ( Official site)

   2007
          Turin will host its first Winter Universiade Games

   2008
          23rd European Rhythmic Gymnastics (Callisthenics) Championships

   2009
          IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics

Chocolate

   Turin is the birth place of solid chocolate. It was in Turin that, at
   the end of the 18th century, Mr Doret invented a revolutionary machine
   that could make solid chocolate (as opposed to drinking chocolate).

   Turin chocolate firms produce a typical chocolate, called Gianduiotto ,
   named after Gianduja, a local Commedia dell'arte mask; plus many other
   kinds of chocolate (italian : cioccolatini), all equally delicious.

   Every year the town organizes cioccolaTO', a two-week chocolate
   festival run with the main piedmontese chocolate producers, such as
   Venchi and others, as well as some big international companies, such as
   Lindt & Sprüngli.

Nearby towns

   Turin is surrounded by several smaller cities in the Province of Turin
   such as Grugliasco, Rivoli, Chivasso, Venaria, Settimo Torinese,
   Orbassano, Moncalieri, Avigliana, Buttigliera Alta, Gassino Torinese,
   Nichelino, Collegno, Chieri, Ivrea, Pinerolo and others, that make up
   one of Italy's primary metropolitan areas.

Notable natives

     * Giovanni Agnelli (1866-1945) - Founder of FIAT
     * Gianni Agnelli (1921-2003) - Chairman director of FIAT and very
       influential Italian
     * Amedeo Avogadro (1776-1856) - Physicist
     * Alessandro Baricco (1958) - writer
     * Giuseppe Marc'Antonio Baretti (1719-1789) - Critic
     * Camillo Benso, count of Cavour - Politician ( Italian unification)
     * Norberto Bobbio (1909-2004) - Historian and philosopher
     * Arturo Brachetti
     * Carla Bruni (1968) - Supermodel
     * Pierre Paul Caffarel (1795-1850) - Founder of the first chocolate
       factory in the world
     * Antonio Benedetto Carpano (1764-1815) - Inventor of vermouth and
       apéritif
     * Gabry Ponte - DJ Member of Eiffel 65
     * Gigi D'Agostino (1967) - DJ
     * Robert Fano (1917-2004) - Engineer
     * Galileo Ferraris (1847-1897) - Physicist and electrical engineer
     * Sonia Gandhi (1946) - Politician
     * Piero Gobetti (1901-1926) - Intellectual
     * Joseph Louis Lagrange (1736-1813) - Mathematician
     * Vincenzo Lancia (1881-1937) - Sportsman and businessman, founder of
       Lancia
     * Luigi Lavazza (1859-1949) - Inventor and businessman of coffee
     * Carlo Levi (1902-1975) - Painter and writer
     * Primo Levi (1919-1987) - Philosopher and writer
     * Salvador Edward Luria (1912-1991) - Nobel Prize in physiology and
       medicine
     * Alessandro Martini (1812-1905) - Businessman in vermouth industry
     * Mau Mau (1991) - Rock band
     * Carlo Mollino (1905-1973) - Architect and Designer
     * Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909) - Nobel Prize in physiology and
       medicine
     * Adriano Olivetti (1901-1960) - Businessman
     * Giuseppe Peano (1858-1932) - Mathematician
     * Aurelio Peccei (1908-1984) - Founder of the Club of Rome
     * Tullio Regge (1931) - Physicist
     * Piero Sraffa (1898-1983) - Influential economist
     * Subsonica (1996) - Rock band
     * Massimo Taparelli, marquis d'Azeglio (1798-1866) - Statesman,
       novelist and painter
     * Umberto Tozzi (1952) - Singer
     * Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (1820-1878) - King of Piedmont and the
       first King of the united Italy

Notable residents

     * Alessandro Del Piero
     * Edmondo de Amicis
     * St. John Bosco
     * Francesco Faà di Bruno
     * Italo Calvino
     * Gaspare Campari
     * Francesco Cirio
     * Renato Dulbecco
     * Umberto Eco
     * Luigi Einaudi
     * Erasmus
     * Guido Fubini
     * Natalia Ginzburg
     * Antonio Gramsci
     * Cesare Lombroso
     * Tulse Luper
     * Joseph de Maistre
     * Giulio Natta
     * Friedrich Nietzsche
     * Vilfredo Pareto
     * Cesare Pavese
     * Jean-Jacques Rousseau
     * Emilio Salgari
     * Ascanio Sobrero
     * Germain Sommeiller
     * Elio Vittorini

Twin Cities

     * France - Chambéry, France
     * Germany - Cologne, Germany
     * United States - Detroit, USA
     * Russia - Volgograd, Russia
     * Netherlands - Rotterdam, Nederland
     * Luxembourg - Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxemburg
     * Belgium - Liège, Belgium
     * France - Lille, France
     * Brazil - Campo Grande, Brazil
     * Argentina - Córdoba, Argentina
     * Palestinian National Authority - Gaza, Palestinian territories
     * Scotland - Glasgow, Scotland
     * United States - Salt Lake City, USA
     * Israel - Haifa, Israel
     * Japan - Nagoya, Japan
     * Guatemala - Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
     * People's Republic of China - Shenyang, China
     * Poland - Warsaw, Poland

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