Legends & folklore
Few cities have as many stories about magic, alchemy and hidden symbols as Turin. Here you'll find out which legends surround Piazza Statuto, the Gran Madre and the Portone del Diavolo – and how much of it is historically documented.
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See the Torino Magica tour
Turin has a reputation as the most “magical” city in Italy. Even the official tourist board, Turismo Torino, has a page dedicated to the subject. One thing first: everything you read in this section is legend and folklore. There is no historical evidence of magical powers – but there is plenty about the places the stories revolve around.
The two triangles: According to legend, Turin lies at the tip of two magic triangles. With Prague and Lyon it forms the triangle of white magic, with London and San Francisco the triangle of black magic. That would make Turin the only city belonging to both.
Two rivers, two souls: The city lies where the Po and the Dora meet. In the esoteric reading, the Po stands for the sun and the Dora for the moon. Even Roman Augusta Taurinorum is said to have been divided into an eastern part, where the sun rises, and a western part, where it sets. From this the legend derives the city's two poles: the “black heart” in the west at Piazza Statuto and the “white soul” in the east at Piazza Castello.
Founding myths: It is also said that an Egyptian prince founded the city, and that Phaethon, son of the sun god, crashed with the sun chariot into the Eridanus – the ancient name of the Po. On top of that comes the claim that the 45th parallel symbolically divides the city.
The places themselves are real and easy to reach on foot. On this page you'll find the documented facts for each legend, a walk from the black to the white heart and the matching guided city tours.
What people say – and what can actually be said about each place.
| Place | Legend | Documented fact |
|---|---|---|
| Piazza Statuto | “Black heart”, gateway to the underworld | Square from the 1860s, Fréjus monument from 1879 |
| Piazza Castello | “White soul”, alchemical grottoes | Centre of the Savoy residences with Palazzo Reale and Palazzo Madama |
| Gran Madre di Dio | Hiding place of the Holy Grail | Church marking the king's return, consecrated in 1831 |
| Portone del Diavolo | Devil's door that appeared overnight | Baroque portal of Palazzo Trucchi di Levaldigi, Via XX Settembre 40 |
| Museo Egizio | Magical place, underground grottoes | Egyptian Museum, founded in 1824 |
| Toret | Lucky charm, symbol of the city | Green drinking fountains with a bull's head, introduced in the late 19th century |
| Nostradamus inscription | The seer lived in Turin | Inscription dated 1556 handed down, no longer surviving today |
Piazza Statuto lies at the western end of Via Garibaldi, the pedestrian street just under a kilometre long that links it with Piazza Castello. The square was built in the 1860s, financed by an English company – it is one of the last squares Turin laid out in the 19th century.
The Fréjus monument: In the middle, since 1879, stands the monument to the railway tunnel through the Fréjus, completed in 1871. Defeated titans lie on a pyramid of massive boulders, and at the very top stands a winged genius with a five-pointed star on his head. It was meant as an allegory: reason and science conquering the brute force of the mountain.
What the legend makes of it: In popular belief the genius becomes Lucifer, and the monument is seen as a gateway to the underworld. The reasoning comes from the history of the place: in the west, where the sun sets, the Romans are said to have buried their dead and executed convicts. The name of the Valdocco district is also often traced back to “valle occisorum”, the “valley of the slain” – there is no evidence for this. In the 19th century, however, there really was a place of execution not far away, the “Rondò della Forca”.
The small obelisk on the square is interpreted in the legends as the tip of the black triangle. Its real purpose is more down-to-earth: it marks a geodetic point, the end of a baseline the mathematician Giovanni Battista Beccaria used in the 18th century to measure an arc of the meridian.
Piazza Statuto is also where the Torino Magica tour starts – at sunset, according to the provider.
At the other end of Via Garibaldi lies the counterpart: Piazza Castello, the centre of the residences of the House of Savoy, with Palazzo Reale and Palazzo Madama. According to legend, this is where the city's “white”, positive soul beats.
According to the provider, the Torino Magica tour also shows the symbols on the cathedral's façade. You can read more about the cathedral and the district behind it on our page about the Quadrilatero Romano.
The best-known legend of magic Turin is set across the Po. The church of Gran Madre di Dio was built in thanks for the return of King Victor Emmanuel I after the end of French rule. The architect Ferdinando Bonsignore modelled it on the Pantheon in Rome, and it was consecrated in 1831. Italy's official tourism portal calls it “the most esoteric church in Turin”.
The legend: Somewhere between the two statues on the front steps, Fede (Faith) and Religione (Religion), the Holy Grail is said to be hidden. Fede holds a chalice – her gaze or the chalice itself is taken as a clue to the hiding place. There is no evidence for this.
Visiting: The Gran Madre stands at Piazza Gran Madre di Dio 4 and, according to Turismo Torino, is open Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 19:00; different hours apply on Sundays. Tram 13 terminates right in front of the church. On foot, you get there from Piazza Vittorio Veneto across the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele I bridge. Everything about the church, the bridge and the Monte dei Cappuccini viewpoint is on our page about Borgo Po and the Gran Madre.
At Via XX Settembre 40 stands Palazzo Trucchi di Levaldigi, built at the end of the 17th century for the Counts Trucchi di Levaldigi. Its entrance is known as the “Portone del Diavolo”, the Devil's Door. The Baroque portal has four columns decorated with flowers, fruit, animals and putti. In the middle hangs a bronze door knocker: a devil's head with horns and an open mouth, entwined by snakes.
The legends:
Today the palace houses a bank branch. You can see the portal from the street at any time – it is also on the route of the Torino Magica tour.
The Toret aren't places of black or white magic, but they are part of any walk through Turin. These green drinking fountains with a bull's head are spread all over the city. According to the Italian National Tourist Board ENIT, they were installed at the end of the 19th century to provide free drinking water for residents and visitors. Some have a second spout at the bottom so that animals can drink too.
The bull is Turin's heraldic animal. Various figures circulate about how many Toret there are today; we have not found an official count.
Another bull, another custom: On Piazza San Carlo a bronze bull is set into the pavement. An old custom invites you to step on it – this is supposed to ensure that you return to Turin.
Turismo Torino also counts the Egyptian Museum among the city's esoteric places. That fits the founding legend of the Egyptian prince and the stories of alchemical grottoes beneath the museum.
What is documented: the Museo Egizio was founded in 1824 and is at Via Accademia delle Scienze 6. Among the pieces with the strongest presence are numerous statues of the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet, goddess of destruction and healing. They come from Karnak and reached Turin with the Drovetti collection.
Allow about two hours for your visit. Admission is free with the Torino + Piemonte Card and reduced with the Royal Pass. Opening hours, prices and guided tours are on our Egyptian Museum page.
These places keep cropping up in the stories of magic Turin.
An inscription dated 1556 has been handed down. In essence it said that Nostradamus had lived here, where Paradise, Hell and Purgatory are – and that whoever honours “victory” gains glory, while whoever scorns it is ruined. The house no longer stands and the plaque is lost. Whether the seer ever came to Turin is not reliably documented.
The fountain on Piazza Solferino is by the sculptor Giovanni Riva and shows four figures representing the seasons. Esoteric readings see Masonic symbols in it and a “gateway to knowledge” between the male figures.
The city's landmark is also on Turismo Torino's list of esoteric places. Today it houses the National Cinema Museum, and a panoramic lift takes you to the top.
Entirely real: countermine tunnels from the siege of 1706. The Museo Pietro Micca at Via Guicciardini 7/A shows around 400 metres of them, 6 to 14 metres below the street.
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Details & bookingTurismo Torino counts the abbey on Monte Pirchiriano in the Susa Valley among the magical places of the province. It inspired Umberto Eco's “The Name of the Rose”.
In the crypt of the church of SS. Sudario, Via San Domenico 28, everything revolves around research into the Shroud. Open daily from 15:00 to 18:00, standard ticket €8.00, free with the Torino + Piemonte Card.
The main places from the legends are so close together that you can walk between them in an afternoon. The route is most atmospheric towards evening. You'll pass Toret on many street corners along the way.
Start at the Fréjus monument with the winged genius, the “black heart”. Take a look at the small obelisk too.
Continue to the Fontana Angelica with its four figures of the seasons.
At Via XX Settembre 40 the door knocker with the devil's head awaits.
Look for the bronze bull in the pavement and follow the custom. The Egyptian Museum on Via Accademia delle Scienze is just nearby.
The “white soul”: the Dioscuri on the railings of Palazzo Reale, and behind them the cathedral with the Shroud.
Finish along Via Po, across Piazza Vittorio Veneto and over the bridge to the Gran Madre – with a view of the statue of Fede and her chalice. Alternatively, tram 13 takes you to the front of the church.
With a guide you learn more details than fit on any sign – and some tours take you to places that are otherwise closed.
This esoteric tour tells the story of Turin's “two souls”. According to the provider, it starts at sunset on Piazza Statuto, the “heart of darkness”, and leads to the façade of the cathedral, the Portone del Diavolo and Masonic symbols around the city. Duration according to the provider: two to two and a half hours.
Languages according to the provider: Italian, English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese – group tours in Italian and English, the other languages as private tours.
from €55.00
See Torino Magica18th-century tunnels and Second World War air-raid shelters. According to the provider, the meeting point is in front of the Museo Pietro Micca, and entrance tickets are included. Minimum age 6, not suitable for people with reduced mobility.
Languages according to the provider: Italian, English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese.
from €55.00
See the tunnel tour
Stories of witchcraft and historical crimes, plus exclusive openings: the old church of the Misericordia and a climb up a bell tower with a view over Turin by night. According to the provider, the meeting point is in front of the cathedral, Via XX Settembre 87.
Language according to the provider: Italian only.
from €32.00
See Turin Noir
Half-day trip to the abbey in the Susa Valley with coach, guide and admission. According to the provider, it departs from Piazza Solferino in front of the Teatro Alfieri – right next to the Fontana Angelica.
from €60.00
See the tripFor all four tours the product page states: free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance. Prices, duration and ratings live from GetYourGuide.
The guided tours aren't included in any card. But the Torino + Piemonte Card gets you free admission to many places from the legends: the Egyptian Museum, the Musei Reali with the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, Palazzo Madama, the Museo della Sindone and the National Cinema Museum in the Mole Antonelliana.
After the “white soul”, would you like to see the Savoy residences from the inside too? The Royal Pass covers the Musei Reali and Palazzo Madama, plus palaces such as Venaria and Stupinigi. At the Egyptian Museum the Royal Pass only gives you a reduction, not free admission.
The Gran Madre, Monte dei Cappuccini and Villa della Regina on the other side of the Po.
The Roman quarter around the cathedral, Porta Palatina and Via Garibaldi.
Highlights walks, private tours, bike and e-bike tours through Turin.
According to legend, Turin lies on two magic triangles: with Prague and Lyon on the triangle of white magic, with London and San Francisco on the triangle of black magic. Then there are stories about where the Po and the Dora meet, the Holy Grail and alchemical grottoes. All of this is folklore – none of it is historically documented.
According to legend, at Piazza Statuto in the west of the city centre. This is where the Fréjus monument of 1879 stands, whose winged genius is interpreted in popular belief as Lucifer. It was intended as a symbol of science's victory in building the Fréjus tunnel.
At Piazza Castello, the centre of the Savoy residences. The legend links it with the Shroud in the nearby cathedral, the Dioscuri on the railings of Palazzo Reale and the supposed alchemical grottoes beneath the city.
That is what Turin's best-known legend says: the Grail is supposed to be hidden between the statues of Fede and Religione on the front steps of the Gran Madre di Dio. There is no evidence. The church itself was consecrated in 1831 and commemorates the king's return after French rule.
At Palazzo Trucchi di Levaldigi, Via XX Settembre 40. You can see the portal with its devil's-head door knocker from the street at any time. The building now houses a bank.
Green drinking fountains with a bull's head which, according to ENIT, were installed at the end of the 19th century and still provide free drinking water today. The bull is the city's heraldic animal.
That is not reliably documented. An inscription dated 1556 has been handed down, according to which he lived in Turin. The building with the plaque no longer exists.
Yes, according to the provider there are group tours in Italian and English; other languages are available as private tours. The “Underground Turin” tunnel tour is also offered in English according to the provider, while the Turin Noir evening tour is in Italian only.
According to the provider, at Piazza Statuto, at sunset. You'll find the exact meeting point for your booked option in your booking confirmation.
Yes. Piazza Statuto, the Portone del Diavolo, Piazza San Carlo, Piazza Castello and the Gran Madre are open to the public and can be linked on foot in an afternoon. Our walk above shows the order.
No – at least, nobody has ever found them. The three grottoes are a legend; depending on who tells it, they lie beneath the Egyptian Museum or in the cellar of an old pharmacy. The Museo Pietro Micca, on the other hand, shows real tunnels under the city.