Famous figures and inventions

Turin is a city that has left a deep mark on Italian and international history. It was the cradle of the Risorgimento and has been home to great figures from many different fields.

• Camillo Benso di Cavour, statesman and founding father of unified Italy, lived and worked in Turin.
• Primo Levi, writer and Holocaust witness, was born here and set many of his works in the city.
• Rita Levi-Montalcini, Nobel Prize winner in medicine, worked here for many years.
• Umberto Eco, author of “The Name of the Rose”, spent part of his education here.
• Composer Giuseppe Verdi premiered some of his works at the Teatro Regio.
• Turin is also the adopted city of Dario Argento, master of Italian horror cinema.

But it’s not only about people: Turin is also the birthplace of great inventions and Italian firsts.

• FIAT was founded here in 1899, becoming a symbol of the Italian automotive industry.
• RAI, the Italian public broadcaster, took its first steps in Turin.
• The first Italian film (1896) was screened in the city, and the first film studio opened here in 1908.
• Turin is where gianduiotto chocolate was created, as well as Nutella (in the nearby Langhe region) and the tradition of bicerin.
• Italian football owes much to Turin: Juventus, one of the most successful clubs in the world, was founded here.
• Today Turin is also a key hub for the aerospace sector, with industries collaborating with ESA and NASA.

With such a rich history of innovation and creativity, Turin continues to look toward the future without forgetting the value of its heritage.