The symbol of the city can be an event, a historical character or a legend. But most often a symbol is called an architectural object. The stone resists pressure of time well. Buildings from this material become a symbol of the city for centuries - the Roman Colosseum, the Moscow Kremlin, the Maiden’s Tower in Baku. For Turin, Mole Antonelliana became such a symbol.
New architecture
The 19th century is called the "neo" era. Alteration and rethinking touched all areas of activity. The traditional directions of literature, music, philosophy in the nineteenth century receive the prefix "neo". Architecture did not stand aside. Buildings in the style of neoclassicism and neo-Gothic appear throughout Europe.
The first archaeological site in Greece and Italy brought architects back to antiquity. Interest in the principles of the construction of ancient architects lies at the heart of neoclassicism. The purity of the lines, the observance of proportions, the elegant and light decor, the sophisticated color palette - all this is visible in the buildings of European architects.
A new look at the traditions of medieval architecture led to the emergence of the Neo-Gothic style. Columns tending upwards, light arches, stained-glass windows and openwork stucco molding, a frame vault - in a new reading we see all these elements in the guise of many European cities.
The Turin Tower is a unique structure that harmoniously combines rival directions.
Alessandro Antonelli
The Italian architect in every project challenged the professional community and the layman. Having been educated in Milan and Turin, he further improved his skills in Rome. He developed the functional principles of architecture in urban planning. As a member of the Public Council of Turin and the Province of Novara, he actively translated his ideas into reality as the author of the planned development projects of Ferrara and Novara. The most famous works were: the Cathedral of Novara, the Basilica of St. Gaudenzio in Novara and the Mall of Antonellian in Turin.
Impossible architecture
Almost all of Antonelli’s creations have the “most” characteristic. The tallest building in the city, the tallest brick building in Europe - this is how the architect described it.
But there is also a “Piece of polenta” - the strangest apartment building in the world. The architect, who was accustomed to large-scale projects, did not arouse enthusiasm for the small triangular piece of land by chance. It was not possible to agree with neighbors on the purchase of their land plots in order to increase the construction area. And then Alessandro Antonelli, according to some accounts, having made a bet, proceeds to the construction of a multi-storey residential building. Completed in 1884, the building has 2 underground floors, foundations and 7 floors on the surface. The house in the form of a trapezoid, the locals called the "piece of polenta", ignoring the official name. Sizes of the “piece”: 17 m along the long side of the trapezoid, wide base - 4.3 m, narrow - 54 cm, floor area - 36.5 square meters. m. Casa Scaccabarozzi is included in all Italy travel guides in the "What to see in Turin" section.
History of the Mole
The most famous creation of the master, bearing his name, was created as a result of the struggle between the customer and the performer. During the rapid construction of Turin, the Jewish community concluded an agreement with Alessandro Antonelli for the construction of the main synagogue of the city. The architect’s ambitions did not allow him to stay within the allocated budget, the final estimate exceeded the planned almost three times.
During the construction process, the project has been repeatedly changed. The Jewish community refused to cooperate when it became clear that the final version not only exceeds the initial version by 100 m, but also completely does not correspond to the architectural canons for the construction of synagogues. The neo-Gothic style spire made the building look like a Catholic cathedral. The work was resumed after the municipality of Turin bought out "unfinished", providing the community with another place for the synagogue.
The 90-year-old Alessandro personally supervised the construction, having not lived to see its completion in less than a year. In 1889, the construction of the building with a height of 167.5 m, including the 47-meter spire, was completed. Mole Antonelliana became the tallest brick building in Europe.
Symbol only
The unique structure, visible from anywhere in the city, which has become the symbol of Turin, has proved to be of little functionality. The building was put to practical use only in 1909. There they opened a museum of the Italian liberation movement - the Risorgimento Museum. In 1938 he was transferred to the Palazzo Carignano. Mole Antonelliana again remained only a symbol - a beautiful view on a tourist postcard.
In 1961, after a hurricane, a deep reconstruction was carried out in the building. The fallen spire was restored, the dome and walls were reinforced from the inside with reinforced concrete and steel structures. Brickwork remained only on the outside of the dome. The symbol of the city, depicted on a 2-cent Italian coin, worked as an observation deck. The views of Turin from the dome of the failed synagogue and the former museum were magnificent.
Cinema museum
They found practical use for the building only in 2000. And again there is a museum - the National Museum of Cinema. Despite the epithet "national", the museum’s exhibitions tell in detail the world history of cinema: from the first devices of moving projections to artifacts of modern film production.
Most of the exposition is dedicated to the art of photography. There are sections showing in detail all the stages of film production, interactive rooms, in which the secrets of optics are revealed. A huge collection of posters and movie posters from different times. Numerous movie screens showcase footage of legendary films.
You can visit the museum and the observation deck from 9:00 to 22:00 at the address: Via Montebello, 20, Turin, Italy.