Mole Antonelliana & Museo Nazionale del Cinema

The Mole Antonelliana is the unmistakable emblem of Turin, a 167-metre tower originally begun in 1863 as a synagogue and now home to the Museo Nazionale del Cinema, one of the most engaging film museums in the world. Visitors enter at the base of the great hall, where the exhibition spirals upward around a central void filled with film props, posters and immersive sets; reclining chaises let people lie back and watch montages projected onto the soaring interior. The collection traces cinema from pre-film optical toys, magic lanterns and shadow theatre through to early Italian and Hollywood classics, with memorabilia, costumes and original equipment displayed across themed chapels and ramps. The undoubted thrill is the panoramic glass lift that rises straight through the centre of the dome in under a minute to an open-air viewing platform at 85 metres, delivering a 360-degree sweep over the Turin rooftops, the Po river and, on clear days, the snow-capped Alps to the west. A typical visit runs two to three hours: allow extra time for the lift, which often has a separate queue. Photographers should aim for late afternoon when low sun rakes across the city and the mountains stand out crisply; the platform faces every direction so sunset and the Alpine arc are both within reach. Crowds peak at weekends and on rainy days when the museum is busiest; weekday mornings and the first hour after opening are calmest. Located on Via Montebello in central Turin, the Mole is an easy walk from Piazza Castello and the Porta Nuova area, making it simple to combine with other sights. The museum sits in the heart of the Piedmont capital, and its spire appears on the Italian two-cent coin, underlining its status as a national landmark.