Turin

placed in the category: Cities

Turin, a city located in Northern Italy, is the capital of the Piedmont Region. It is bordered by the Alpine Arch and the Po River, and only an hour away from the French Border by car. It is a major industrial city and cultural center, and is one of the largest provinces in Italy, with a population of around one million people. The name Turin originated from a Celtic word which means "mountains", due to its proximity to the Alps. It is ranked third as city having the strongest economy in Italy, next only to Rome and Milan.

The city is a major business and industrial center. It houses the headquarters of the car manufacturing companies Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Lancia. It is also the home of the Lingotto Center which used to be the biggest car factory in the world. It was also the host of the recent 2006 Winter Olympics. The city is also known for Alenia Aeronotica, an aerospace company.

Turin is one the oldest capitals in Italy. A military camp was built by the Romans in first century BC, and remnants of the Roman street grid are still present in the city. It became the capital of the United Italy, before the capital was moved to Florence, and then to Rome. To prevent loss of importance, the city began to focus in industrialization, and the automobile companies Fiat and Lancia were founded at the turn of 1900. At about the same time, the Universal Exposition was held in Turin, such being considered the summit of Art Noveau.

Turin is not considered as a typical Italian city. Considered by some as the Baroque Capital of Europe due to the buildings and palaces based on the style, its aesthetics can be considered as more French than Italian.

A modern and extensive system of connections of trams and buses has been completed just in time for the Torino Winter Olympics. A driverless underground train system is also in operation, a first of its kind. Due to this, getting around Turin is simple and efficient. Bicycle paths, for the environmentally-conscious, have also been constructed.