City district
Vanchiglia begins behind the Mole Antonelliana: a former district of craftsmen and factories with Antonelli's narrow "Fetta di Polenta", a university by the river and squares that fill up in the evening. By the Po, Piazza Vittorio Veneto and the Murazzi await.
from€93.00per person
Aperitivo tour ending in Vanchiglia
Vanchiglia lies north-east of the old town, framed by two rivers: the Po flows along its southern and eastern edge, and the Dora Riparia to the north, where it joins the Po. To the west, Corso San Maurizio forms the boundary with the centre. Just beyond it stand the Mole Antonelliana and the arcades of Via Po.
Administratively, Vanchiglia belongs to Circoscrizione 7, together with Aurora, Sassi-Superga and Madonna del Pilone.
Strictly speaking, it has two parts:
Vanchiglia is not a district of big museums. It is worth it for a walk away from the main streets, for the views of the Po and for the evening. From Piazza Castello, it is a short walk along Via Po.
For a long time, Vanchiglia lay outside the gates of Turin, between the Po and the Dora. In the mid-19th century, a city guide described the borgo as already densely populated, with the most important workshops for iron, other metals and carpentry. There was no church and no school yet. The city required new houses to be built along regular streets so that the borgo could soon become part of the city.
These workshops, and later factories, shaped the district well into the 20th century. Because of all the chimneys, the people of Turin called it the "Borgo del Fumo", the smoke district. Craftsmen and working-class families lived here.
The church came in 1866: Santa Giulia, funded by the Marchesa Giulia di Barolo and built by Giovanni Battista Ferrante in the neo-Gothic style. An earlier, monumental design by Alessandro Antonelli had proved too expensive. The church is still seen as the symbol of Vanchiglia; its founder is buried inside.
Antonelli left his mark all the same: in Vanchiglia he built his own home, the "Fetta di Polenta", and a few streets away the Mole.
When industry disappeared, the district changed. In 2012, the University of Turin opened the Campus Luigi Einaudi on the banks of the Dora, designed by the London practice Foster + Partners. Since then, students have shaped the district, and with them came cafés, bars and small restaurants.
On the corner of Corso San Maurizio and Via Giulia di Barolo stands one of Turin's most unusual buildings. Its official name is Casa Scaccabarozzi, after Francesca Scaccabarozzi, the wife of Alessandro Antonelli. Locals call it the "Fetta di Polenta", the slice of polenta – because of its yellow colour and its floor plan.
Antonelli, the architect of the Mole, built the house on a long, trapezoid-shaped plot. According to FAI, the Italian heritage trust, it was built more as the result of a bet than out of real need:
Photo tip: stand so that you are looking straight at the narrow corner. From there the house looks like a flat slice. From the side you can see that it gets wider towards the back.
The Fetta di Polenta is not a museum and cannot normally be visited. You can see it from the street, at any time and for free.
The Mole stands just a few streets west of Corso San Maurizio, between Via Po and Vanchiglia. From the streets of the district you keep catching sight of its spire between the buildings.
Alessandro Antonelli designed it in 1862 as a synagogue for the Jewish community. The City of Turin took it over and completed it in 1889. It is 167 metres high today; in its time it was the tallest brick building in Europe. Today it houses the Museo Nazionale del Cinema. A glass panoramic lift takes you up to the viewing terrace at 85 metres.
Everything about tickets, the lift and the museum is on our page about the Mole Antonelliana.
On the southern edge of the district, Turin opens up towards the river. These places are right next to each other.
Turin's largest square, over 38,000 m², lined with arcades all round. Giuseppe Frizzi planned it in the early 19th century at the end of Via Po. The square slopes gently down to the river – handy for military parades in the past. Across the Vittorio Emanuele I bridge you look onto the church of Gran Madre di Dio.
Until the 1950s, the fishermen's boathouses sat here beneath the 19th-century river walls. Later, the Murazzi became one of the best-known meeting places of Turin's nightlife, the movida. Today there is aperitivo, dinner and music by the water.
North of the Murazzi, the riverside roads run along the Po towards Vanchiglietta. You can walk along the river here and look across at the green hills on the opposite bank.
The bridge links Piazza Vittorio with the Borgo Po district. On the other side are the Gran Madre and the climb up to the Monte dei Cappuccini.
East of Corso Regina Margherita, things get quieter and greener. Vanchiglietta grew in the 19th and 20th centuries as an extension of the old borgo and reaches as far as the Po.
In recent years Turin has opened up many façades for murals. The best-known project is TOward 2030: in 2018 and 2019, the City of Turin and Lavazza had walls all over the city painted by Italian and international street artists, each work dedicated to one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
For street art, Turismo Torino recommends a route through the Aurora, Borgo Dora, Quadrilatero and Vanchiglia districts. That makes Vanchiglia a good starting point: keep your eyes open as you walk through the side streets and along the river.
The city provides an overview of the works across Turin on turismotorino.org. By the way, the largest collection is not in Vanchiglia but at the MAU, the Museo d’Arte Urbana in the Borgo Campidoglio district.
Turismo Torino counts Vanchiglia, together with Aurora, among the university districts where more and more bars, bistros, pizzerias and restaurants are opening. The crowd is younger than on the squares of the city centre, and the places are often smaller and more experimental.
The heart of the evening is Piazza Santa Giulia in front of the church of the same name, together with Via Giulia di Barolo. Both are pedestrianised, and many places have tables outside. According to Turismo Torino, this is where market and movida meet: market stalls during the day, the district's meeting place in the evening.
If you are staying in the district: around Piazza Santa Giulia it can be noisy until late at weekends.
We deliberately do not recommend individual bars, because places here change often. How aperitivo works in Turin and where else to find it is explained on our page about aperitivo in Turin. If you prefer something more classic, head to the historic cafés on Piazza Vittorio or down to the Murazzi. Other nightlife districts are San Salvario and the Quadrilatero Romano.
Just across the Dora, at Corso Novara 135 near the Regio Parco district, lies the Cimitero Monumentale. Turismo Torino lists it together with Vanchiglia, Aurora and Regio Parco. It is the city's largest cemetery and an open-air museum of funerary art: according to Turismo Torino, 12 kilometres of arcades with historic and artistic tombs run through it.
The cemetery was laid out in the late 1820s to replace the older San Lazzaro and San Pietro in Vincoli cemeteries. A crematorium was added in 1882, the second in Italy after Milan.
Among those buried here are the writer Edmondo De Amicis, the Nobel laureate Rita Levi-Montalcini and Princess Iolanda Margherita of Savoy. The 26 workers who died in 1852 in the explosion at the royal gunpowder factory also lie here.
Admission is free. It is a working cemetery: please be quiet and do not photograph funerals. Local operators offer guided tours on art and history; dates are listed by Turismo Torino.
Turin's municipal cemeteries have no closing day. The hours change with the seasons (as of 1 October 2026):
| Period | Open | Admission |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn, until early November | daily 8:30–17:30 | free |
| Winter, from early November to the end of February | daily 8:30–16:30 | free |
Special hours apply around All Saints' Day. The city publishes the exact dates shortly beforehand every year. Current hours: cimiteritorino.it.
A walk for an afternoon that can roll on into aperitivo. It starts at Piazza Castello and ends at Piazza Vittorio Veneto by the Po.
From Piazza Castello, walk under the arcades of Via Po towards the river. After a few blocks, turn left towards Via Montebello.
On Via Montebello you are standing right beneath the Mole. If you want to go up, plan the lift now – or come back at the end of the day.
Carry on towards Corso San Maurizio. On the corner with Via Giulia di Barolo stands Antonelli's narrow yellow house. Stand in front of the pointed corner for the best photo.
Along Via Giulia di Barolo you reach Piazza Santa Giulia with its neo-Gothic church from 1866. A market during the day, the district's meeting place in the evening.
From the square, head north through the streets of the old borgo to Corso Regina Margherita and on to the Dora.
On Lungo Dora Siena is the university campus with its curved white roofs. Optional detour: cross the Dora heading north to reach Corso Novara and the Cimitero Monumentale.
Follow the Dora to the Po, then walk south along the bank, back through Vanchiglietta towards the centre. On the opposite bank you can see the green hills.
Down by the river you reach the Murazzi. The steps take you up to Piazza Vittorio Veneto – a good spot for aperitivo with a view of the Gran Madre. To get back to Piazza Castello, take Via Po.
We have not found a dedicated tour of Vanchiglia alone with the big providers. According to the providers, these tours go into the district or to its edge.
Three hours with a local: wine on Piazza San Carlo, craft beer, street food and, to finish, a cocktail or wine in Vanchiglia. Languages: English, Italian. Meeting point according to the provider: Piazza San Carlo, in front of the church of Santa Cristina.
from €93.00
Details & booking
Guided tour of the National Cinema Museum with a ride in the panoramic lift, in a small group of no more than nine people. Languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Italian.
from €99.00
Details & booking
Two-hour walk in a small group across Piazza San Carlo, Piazza Carignano and Piazza Castello to the Mole Antonelliana. From there it is just a few minutes to Vanchiglia. Languages: English, Italian.
from €39.00
Details & bookingAccording to the providers, all three tours can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours in advance. You can find more walks among our city tours in Turin and food tours.
All tickets and tips on buses, trams and the metro are on our page about public transport in Turin.
You do not need a pass for the district itself: the Fetta di Polenta, Piazza Vittorio, the Murazzi and the Cimitero Monumentale cost nothing. The Torino + Piemonte Card pays off at the Mole: it gives you free entry to the National Cinema Museum and a reduced fare for the panoramic lift. On top of that come the museums in the city centre. Whether the Torino Card or the Royal Pass suits you better is shown in our Torino Card vs Royal Pass comparison.
North-east of the old town, between Corso San Maurizio to the west, the Po to the south and east, and the Dora to the north. The Mole Antonelliana and Via Po are right next to it. The district belongs to Circoscrizione 7.
A narrow yellow apartment building by Alessandro Antonelli, the architect of the Mole. Its official name is Casa Scaccabarozzi, after Antonelli's wife. It stands on the corner of Corso San Maurizio and Via Giulia di Barolo and was built between 1840 and 1881.
No, not normally. The house is not a museum. You can look at it and photograph it from the street at any time.
It stands a few streets west of Corso San Maurizio, so on the edge of the district between Via Po and Vanchiglia. From the district you can be there in a few minutes.
Vanchiglia, the older borgo, lies between Corso San Maurizio and Corso Regina Margherita around the church of Santa Giulia. Vanchiglietta adjoins it to the east and reaches as far as the Po. This is where the Campus Luigi Einaudi and the Parco Colletta are.
Around Piazza Santa Giulia and on Via Giulia di Barolo, both pedestrianised. On the edge of the district are Piazza Vittorio Veneto with its historic cafés and the Murazzi by the Po.
Daily from 8:30, with no closing day. In autumn, until early November, it closes at 17:30; in winter, until the end of February, at 16:30. Special hours apply around All Saints' Day. Admission is free.
Because of its many workshops and factories with their chimneys. Until the 20th century, Vanchiglia was a district of craftsmen and workers. Today it is shaped by the students of the Campus Einaudi.
We have not found a dedicated tour of the district alone with the big providers. According to the provider, the Aperitivo & Street Food Tour ends in Vanchiglia, and several city tours end at the Mole on the edge of the district.
Not for the district itself, as its sights are free. At the Mole, however, the card gets you free entry to the National Cinema Museum and a reduced fare for the lift.