Museo Nazionale del Cinema

The Museo Nazionale del Cinema is housed inside the Mole Antonelliana at Via Montebello 20 in the Vanchiglia district of Turin, Piedmont, Italy. It is one of the world's leading museums devoted to cinema, and its origins lie in the collection of Maria Adriana Prolo, a Turin historian who began gathering film material in 1941. The collection moved into the Mole in 2000, in a redesign by the Swiss architect Francois Confino, who used the vast interior of the 167.5-metre tower as an immersive stage.

The collection consists of more than 800,000 items. These include pre-cinema optical devices such as magic lanterns, shadow theatres and zoetropes, early cameras and projectors, posters, film costumes, props, scripts and photographs. The museum holds important Italian film material, from the silent-era epics produced in Turin, which was an early capital of Italian cinema, to works by directors such as Fellini and Visconti, and international items related to Hollywood and European film.

The visit follows a spiral ramp that rises through the central void of the cupola, with the Temple Hall at the base, where reclining seats face a large screen and chapels are devoted to genres. The upper levels cover the technique of cinema, special effects, sets and the history of film production. The approach is thematic and immersive rather than strictly chronological, with changing lighting and sound enhancing the experience.

The museum is managed by a foundation, and its collection is maintained and digitised for research. The building has undergone structural conservation to ensure the stability of the historic tower. Tickets are about EUR 16 for the museum, EUR 9 for the panoramic lift and EUR 20 combined, and the museum is open daily except Tuesday. Confirm hours at museocinema.it.