Museum of Ancient Art, Turin

The Municipal Museum of Ancient Art (Museo Civico d'Arte Antica) in Turin is a place that fully represents the history of the city and the entire Piedmont region. Priceless archeological finds and art objects from the time of the appearance of a man on the territory of the city until the 18-19th centuries are also stored in its collection.

History of the museum

For the first time the museum was opened to the general public shortly after the unification of Italy, in 1863. Its exposition was located in 12 rooms of one of the palaces on Via Gaudenzio Ferrari. At that time it bore the name of City Museum. In 1985, the first reorganization was carried out, dividing the objects of ancient and modern art. The latter became the core of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

In 1913 the institution changed its name to the present one. In 1934, the museum changed its location, moving to the premises of the famous Palazzo Madama. Over time, museum collections have expanded, and the premises required modernization. Therefore, in 1988 the museum was closed for a long restoration. It opened its doors to visitors only in 2006.

Exposition of the museum

In the collection of the museum there are more than seventy thousand exhibits. Among them, paintings, sculptures, ceramics, porcelain, majolica, ivory, gold and silver, as well as antique furniture, tapestries and clothing. After the restoration of the museum, collections were thematically grouped and placed in 35 rooms and rooms of a chic historical palace, on 4 floors:

• Basement. It is occupied by an exhibition of the Middle Ages, a special place in which belongs to old mosaics and jewelry.
• First floor. There are exhibits of objects from the 13th and 16th centuries, belonging to the Gothic period and the Renaissance. Among them there are many sculptures and paintings by the great masters of the time.
• Main floor. Here, in the most beautiful halls in the Baroque style, you can see furniture and decorative art items from the 17th and 18th centuries on display.
• Second floor. Its halls are completely devoted to decorative art.

An exceptional collection of paintings and gilded stained glass, donated to the museum by the collector Emanuele Tapparelli d'Azeglio is of colossal importance. The most valuable exhibits are kept in the tower of the 15th century "Torre Tesori". Those are the famous manuscript of the Flemish painter Jan van Eyck, as well as "Ritratto d'uomo" by the Italian artist Antonello da Messina. In addition to them, the museum has many more good paintings, and a very interesting sculptural group "Compianto sul Cristo morto".

How to get there

The museum is located on the central square of Turin, Piazza Castello. Some call Piazza Castello the White Heart of the city. Here, in the center, there are the Diocesan Museum and the Museum of Antiquity, as well as the Royal Palace. A real treat for a tourist. On the square there is a bus stop Castello. Trams 7, 13, 15, and buses № 13N, 55, 56, 3904, 3991, N04, N10, S04, W01, W15, W60 run to it.

Opening hours: every day, from 11:00 to 19:00. The ticket office closes an hour earlier. Tuesday is the day off. Phone number for information: (+39) 011 4433501, for booking: (+39) 011 5211788.

Admission: the price of a full ticket is 12 euros, with a discount (students 18-25 and pensioners over 65) – 10 euros. On the first Tuesday of the month, admission is free. Data of May 2018.