Turin's cinema musem

On the first of January, 2002, the 12 members of the European Union said farewell to their individual, national currencies and welcomed the new European currency, the Euro. Naturally, this new step was accompanied by a certain nostalgia and loyalty to the old and so, in shrewd response, some vestiges of the past were applied to the future and the pain of drastic change was dampened.

A piece of Turin, in Piedmont, can be found in the wallets and purses of all Italians. How? When examining in detail those small, two Euro cent coins, a stamp of very particular design can be seen. The Mole Antonelliana measures less than a centimetre on this coin, but in real life, it's a 167-meter tall Turin building named after its architect. It now houses the National Museum of Cinema.

Given first breath by Alessandro Antonelli in 1863, this brick building named the Mole has had a difficult history. Its construction suffered from repeated thunderstorms and an earthquake and the very reason for its existence changed too over the course of time.

Originally designed as a synagogue, the extravagant cost of Antonelli's project meant the Antonelliana was converted into a monument in honour of Italy's King, Vittorio Emanuele II. It was eventually designated the seat for the Cinema Museum which now attracts millions of visitors each year, especially keen to see its unique magic lantern display. The lanterns are rare artefacts pre cinematography. Their design gave life to the realisation of actual cinematic film.

The Cinema Museum features authentic costumes from Lawrence of Arabia and set design sketches from Gone with the Wind, to cite just two of its well-known attractions. Meandering through a series of prints, paintings and posters, visitors are led into cinema's star-studded and interesting history.

The museum's crystal lift, see-through and panoramic, carries visitors up to the Mole's roof. The perfect point to appreciate Turin's regal air. The city's monumental arcades shouldn't be missed, together with a thousand other attractions, including the excellent collection at the Egyptian Museum and Turin's Cathedral, home of the mysterious Shroud of Turin that is shown to its curious public only once every 10 years.