Museo Pietro Micca and the Cittadella tunnels

The Museo Pietro Micca and the Cittadella tunnels are located on Via Guicciardini in Turin, Piedmont, Italy. The complex commemorates the siege of Turin in 1706, when French and Spanish forces besieged the city during the War of the Spanish Succession. The siege lasted from May to September and ended with the relief of the city by an Imperial and Savoyard army under Prince Eugene of Savoy and Duke Victor Amadeus II. The victory was a turning point for the House of Savoy, which gained the title of King of Sicily and later Sardinia.

Pietro Micca was a soldier and miner from Biellese origin serving in the Savoyard army. On the night of 29-30 August 1706, as grenadiers entered the Cittadella countermine, he ignited a powder charge to blow up the gallery, killing himself and halting the attack. He became a symbol of civic sacrifice, and a monument and a museum perpetuate his memory.

The museum documents the siege through maps, prints, weapons, uniforms and models of the fortifications, and presents the story of the Cittadella built in the 16th century. The highlight is the descent into the underground galleries, part of the complex defensive system of countermines, branching tunnels and shafts dug beneath the fortress. Visitors walk through several hundred metres of passages, narrow and damp, which give a direct impression of the conditions of siege warfare.

Most of the Cittadella was demolished in the 19th century, but the tunnels survive thanks to the museum and the efforts of historians. The galleries have been reinforced and lit for safe passage, and visits are usually led by guides. Opening is mainly for afternoon guided visits on selected days, and the admission fee is small, so confirm details at museopietromicca.it before going.