Been back a couple of months now after our road trip down to Turin and back.
Not being much of a petrol-head myself, I was still blown away by the sense of pride that this city has for its pivotal place in automotive history and the skill and style with which it displays it.
First highlight was the Lingotto building – the old Fiat factory on the outskirts of town now converted into shops, offices and an amazing museum on the upper floors where is preserved the old racetrack where they tested the cars (and where Michael Caine and a load of Mini Coopers were driven around by Rémy Julienne and others in The Italian Job).
You can walk all the way round – there’s a few arty sculptures, some foliage and lots of pithy sentiments graffitied on the perimeter.
Right on top is an art gallery, designed by Renzo Piano, a futuristic, steel-and-glass structure affectionately nicknamed “Lo Scrigno” (The Casket), which appears to hover 34 metres above the concrete track. This houses the Agnelli family’s collection including original works by Picasso, Matisse, Manet, Renoir and Canalletto (I kid you not).
The two blocks of the Lingotto were dedicated to either engine/chassis and bodies in a vertical production technique which met at the top before the finished cars were tested on the track and then spiralled back down to the ground.
As is the way with many of these places, it’s all shops and offices on the lower floors where the assembly lines used to be but a quick elevator ride (plus the appropriate fee) will take you up to a fascinating and brooding monument of the history of Italian car manufacture.
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