San Carlo Square, Turin

San Carlo Square in Turin (Piazza San Carlo) is one of the oldest and most important forums of the city. It is situated in the center, and is called "living room" of Turin by its citizens. Across the square there is the street that connects the Piazza Castello and the Piazza Carlo Felice near the central station of Porta Nuova. This explains the huge number of tourists who often walk to the heart of the city.

History of the square

Until the beginning of the 17th century, this area was outside the city walls, which had remained since ancient times. After the transfer of the capital of the duchy of Savoy to Turin in 1563 it was decided to expand the boundaries of the city. The idea began to be realized in 1617. The work on the creation of the square and adjacent streets was carried out according to the project by the architect Carlo di Castellamonte. The opening took place in 1638 and the forum was named Piazza Reale. The surrounding buildings and palaces were built during 1643-1646. In 1650, military parades began here and the square changed its name to Piazza d'Armi. In 1750 the parades were moved to the Vittorio Veneto Square, and since then this place is called the San Carlo Square.

In 1764, the architect Benedetto Alfieri reconstructed the square, after which it acquired the present exquisite appearance. In 1864 it became one of the places of protest of the townspeople against the transfer of the capital of Italy to Florence, brutally suppressed by the army. In 1931-1937 the northern part of the forum was again reconstructed. In 1960-1970, there was beautiful street lighting. In 1998-2004, the square became a completely pedestrian zone, an underground parking lot was built beneath it.

In 2015, the project "Laboratory on the Square" was implemented here: video cameras, intelligent lighting, charging for gadgets and WI-FI points were installed.

Places of interest in San Carlo Square

The square has a rectangular elongated shape, its length is 168 m and its width is 76 m. It is surrounded on all sides by buildings that are only slightly inferior to the square. Among them, the residence of the aristocrats of the 17th and 18th centuries is the Palazzo Solaro del Borgo and the Palazzo Guido Villa. Now they are the headquarters of the Turin Philharmonic and the offices of Intesa Sanpaolo. All the buildings are made in the same Baroque style, they have 3 floors, the first of which, according to a good Turin tradition, is hidden by a number of porticoes and galleries. In the square there are a few very remarkable objects:

• Monument to Emanuele Filiberto. A large and beautiful equestrian monument was erected in 1838. Now it is one of the symbols of Turin.
• Twin Churches. The church of San Carlo was built in 1619, and the identical church of Santa Cristina was copied from the previous church in 1639. But later it was vice versa: in 1716 the façade of the younger church was reconstructed, and in 1835 the older one. They are placed a few meters apart in the southern part of the square.
• House of Vittorio Alfieri. Near the churches there is a house where a famous writer and playwright lived in 1774-1777. For the most part, he feasted with friends here, regularly making noisy parties.
• Café area. Under the arches of the first floor of the buildings on the square there are many cafes, restaurants and confectioneries. It is worth noting that they are very old – some of them have a 200-year history. The whole political life of Turin 19-20 centuries passed in the Caffè Torino and Caffè San Carlo, because well-known statesmen spent their time here regularly.

Interesting facts

The San Carlo Square in Turin has become not just a place of mass meetings of citizens and various celebrations, including concerts and rallies. This is truly the central place of Turin. During the Winter Olympics in 2006 the events took place here. The New Year is celebrated on this squre. The Pope spoke on the occasion of the opening of the Shroud of Turin for the eyes of pilgrims here. And before the matches of the "Old Lady" fans of the Turin "Juventus" gather on this square. Also, the square appears in one of the scenes of the famous film "I Am Legend".

How to get there

Plaza San Carlo is located in the center of Turin, it unites 5 streets, the most important of which is Via Roma. It is literally surrounded by historical palaces on all sides. Nearby there are the Museo Egizio and Museum of the Risorgimento, and two blocks away – Solferino Square. Next to the square there is a public transport stop Arcivescovado. It can be reached by tram № 4, 15, and buses № 11, 55, 57, 58, 92, S04, STAR1.