History History

The Piedmont area has been inhabited since the Palaeolithic period, but it was not until the Neolithic period that the population developed and numerous remains from the Bronze and Iron Ages have been found. The area was then inhabited by the Ligurians, an Alpine people who occupied the present-day regions of Piedmont and Liguria in Italy and Provence in France, and by various Celtic populations who lived mainly from farming and stockbreeding at the foot of the mountains and from fishing along the many rivers.

Taurasia, today's Turin, was founded by a Celtic population, the Taurines, faithful to the cult of the bull and allies of Rome. In 218 B.C., the Taurines bravely resisted for three days the powerful attacks of Hannibal accompanied by his famous elephants, before giving in.

Two centuries later, in memory of this heroic resistance, the first Roman emperor, Augustus, named the new Roman city built on the ruins of the ancient city Augusta Taurinorum. The golden bull appears on his coat of arms. Augustus gathered troops there to guard the borders of northern Italy and chose the structure of a Roman castrum (a fortified camp), whose characteristic square plan the city would retain for a long time

The Romans also founded some of the most important towns in Piedmont: Asti, Alba, Acqui Terme, Novara and Vercelli. These towns were small in size and were initially also military camps. As the Piedmontese territory was already crossed by important trade routes, the new roads built by the Romans had an essentially administrative and military function.

After the fall of the Roman Empire in 476, the Piedmont territory and Turin were conquered by various barbarian populations, due to the strategic border position of the area: in 492 by the Burgundians and in 586 by the Lombards, who founded the duchy of Turin. In 773, the Franks became the masters of the region after Charlemagne's victory over the Lombards. They introduced their administrative structures: the region became part of the Carolingian Empire.

The end of the Carolingian dynasty provoked a restructuring of the territories. Towards the eastern plains of Novara and Vercelli, the bishops gathered around them the rural aristocracy and a powerful merchant bourgeoisie, thus allowing the birth of the communes. These vigorous state structures had their own magistracy and complete autonomy. On the other hand, in the Monferrato and Langhe region, the marquisates of Monferrato and Saluzzo were based on a feudal system founded on agricultural wealth. Finally, the marquises of Ivrea ruled over the march of Turin and the march of Susa.

The marriage of Adelaide of Susa, sole heir to the March of Turin, to Oddon of Savoy marked the beginning of the rise to power of the House of Savoy: this dynasty would indeed rule Piedmont, with a few interruptions, for nearly nine centuries. Its lands are located on the Via Francigena, a huge pilgrimage route that begins in Canterbury, Kent, and crosses all of France to Rome. In the 12th and 13th centuries, hospices and rich abbeys were built around this important route. The swampy territories were drained and cultivated, the region prospered and the population increased. The House of Savoy, often abused by its opponents, returned to power in 1280, and practically never abandoned it, consolidating its state, working for the unification of Piedmont, and later for that of all of Italy.

The extinction of the Acaja branch allowed Amadeus VIII to reunite Savoy and the whole of Piedmont. Turin began to develop, particularly through the creation of its university.

During the wars of Italy opposing the kingdom of France to the Habsburgs, François I occupied Turin and incorporated its territory into France until 1557, when Emmanuel-Philibert of Savoy, an ally of Spain, managed to defeat the French at Saint-Quentin. In 1559, the treaties of Cateau-Cambrésis gave him back the Duchy of Savoy. A vigorous political figure, Emmanuel-Philibert, and later his son Charles-Emmanuel, reorganized the State through important structural reforms that marked the end of feudalism.

The capital of the States of Savoy was moved from Chambéry to Turin, and the Holy Shroud arrived there in 1578. The court settled there permanently. Turin was still a modest city at that time. The idea of the Savoys was to turn towards Italy and no longer fight against the French power, which was building up a powerful monarchy. Emmanuel-Philibert of Savoy launched great works to make Turin a grandiose city. The population of the city increased rapidly. Emmanuel-Philibert built the Mastio della Cittadella (1564-1566), a masterpiece of military architecture. His son Charles-Emmanuel, married to the Spanish infanta Catherine of Habsburg, pursued a policy of grandeur by calling to his court one of the most important architects of the time, Ascanio Vittozzi, whom he commissioned to design the present-day piazza Castello, via Garibaldi, via Roma and Porta Nuova, as well as the churches of Corpus Domini and Monte dei Cappuccini, built in 1584.

Piedmont suffered severe famines and a plague epidemic struck Turin in 1629 and 1630, decimating part of its population. At the same time, an incredibly intense building fever covered Piedmont with palaces, fortresses, churches and sanctuaries, and luxury craftsmanship (silk, goldsmiths, cabinetmakers, marble makers, etc.) experienced a tremendous boom. The period known as the "regency" began, as the duchy was governed by several foreign ladies, the " madame reali", including the famous Christine of France, sister of Louis XIII, who brought great architectural improvements to Turin. The French organized a five-month siege of the city in 1640 to help her against the malevolence of her brothers-in-law, supported by the Spaniards. When Christine died in 1663, the duchy fell to Charles-Emmanuel II, who launched a new wave of projects to improve the city, including its expansion towards the Po, and hired one of the most renowned architects of the time, Guarino Guarini, who designed the Chapel of the Holy Shroud.

His successor, Victor-Amédée II, had an ambiguous policy towards France. Although he was married to Anne of Orleans, niece of Louis XIV, he tried to conclude more advantageous alliances with the aim of conquering Italy. The reaction of the Sun King was not long in coming and, in 1706, the French army, after having set fire to Piedmont, launched a long siege of the city of Turin. But Victor-Amédée, uniting his army with the Austrian cohorts of his cousin Eugène de Savoie-Carignan, blocked the progress of the French troops. The heroic act of a Turin soldier, Pietro Micca, who sacrificed himself by blowing up the underground galleries leading to the Mastio della Cittadella, is still remembered. The French were driven out of Italy.

The Treaties of Utrecht put an end to the difficult War of the Spanish Succession, and Victor-Amédée II obtained the royal crown of Sicily and then that of Sardinia, thus becoming the first king of the House of Savoy. For almost a century, the kingdom enjoyed relative political stability and economic growth. The splendour of the Turin court rivalled that of the great European courts and the greatest architects were called to Turin. To give the new kingdom its lustre, Victor-Amédée II recruited the Sicilian architect Filippo Juvarra, who left Turin two of the most sumptuous masterpieces of the Italian Baroque: the Basilica of Superga and the Palazzina Stupinigi. Montesquieu described Turin as "the most beautiful village in the world".

During the Directoire, General Bonaparte was charged with fighting the Austrian Habsburg Empire in Italy. He particularly distinguished himself in what was his first campaign, winning victory after victory. His troops inflicted severe defeats on the army of Victor-Amédée III. In 1800 at Marengo, near Alessandria, Napoleon definitively triumphed over the House of Savoy and Piedmont was added to his conquests. The Savoys withdrew to Sardinia. Between 1802 and 1814, Piedmont became the French department of the Po, with Turin as its capital.

The Congress of Vienna marks the end of Napoleon's reign. Piedmont and Sardinia were returned to Victor-Emmanuel I. The people of Turin welcomed their king with enthusiasm.

However, the obscurantist policy of the sovereign led, in 1820, to revolts that would pave the way for the Risorgimento, i.e. Italian unity. For at that time, in Italy, a feeling of national consciousness began to develop, very quickly relayed by movements that were expressed through the action of secret societies, populated by intellectuals, officers, magistrates, in short, all the representatives of the Italian elite. In 1821, in Turin, there were violent uprisings, especially among students. The insurgents opposed the king's authority and the influence of Austria, but their demand for a constitution was harshly repressed. The king was finally forced to abdicate in favour of his brother Charles-Felix. Turin became the centre of national aspirations. This was the great era of the cafés, where patriots seeking to free themselves from Austrian domination met: it is often said that the history of Italy was partly written in the cafés of Turin... In this period of political and intellectual ferment, Turin was even nicknamed the "little Paris".

The idea of a national unity under the umbrella of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia gained ground, supported by thinkers and political leaders such as Massimo d'Azeglio and Cesare Balbo. In 1848, following popular movements, several princes of the peninsula were forced to grant constitutions to their populations. Charles Albert, who became king on the death of Charles Felix, had to accept a constitutional regime in his kingdom: this was the Statuto Albertino. The House of Savoy, alone in the battle with the Austrians, suffered bitter defeats at Custoza and Novara, forcing Charles Albert to sign an armistice. His many errors earned him the nickname of Re tentenna ("the king who hesitates").

Charles Albert was forced to hand over power to his son Victor Emmanuel II. Isolated from the Italian absolutist regimes supported by Austria, the kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia was administered from 1852 by Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, whose political and diplomatic skill would lead to the unity of the Italian peninsula.

A member of the Piedmontese nobility, known for his liberal and anti-clerical ideas, he founded the newspaper Risorgimento in 1847, in which he campaigned for the kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia to become a constitutional monarchy. He became a deputy and then a minister, and was appointed President of the Council of the Kingdom in 1852. For nine years, he modernised the country's economy and prepared the unification of Italy on behalf of King Victor-Emmanuel II. He obtained the support of Napoleon III, who was in favour of the right of peoples to self-determination and nationalities, against Austria: the victories of 1859 (Magenta, Solferino, etc.) enabled him to annex most of northern Italy (particularly Lombardy), which was then occupied by the Austrian Empire, even if in exchange he was obliged to cede Nice and Savoy to France. In 1860, following Garibaldi's expedition to the kingdom of Naples, he invaded the Papal States and the south of the country.

The Kingdom of Italy was born: on 18 February 1861, the first Italian Parliament sat in the Palazzo Carignano in Turin, and on 17 March Victor Emmanuel II became the first King of Italy. On 6 June 1861, Cavour died of malaria, two months after being appointed Prime Minister.

The first capital of Italy, Turin underwent new architectural transformations with the construction of the Porta Nuova station and the Mole Antonelliana in 1862. But this status was short-lived: in 1865, Florence was chosen to place the capital of the new kingdom in the centre of the country. Turin then entered a real economic recession from which it would not emerge until the beginning of the 20th century with the explosion of the mechanical industry. The role of capital of Italy will finally return to Rome in 1870, after its reconquest.

Turin is far from being an idle city. In 1884, it hosted a major international exhibition, of which there is still evidence today in the medieval town of Valentino Park. The local daily La Stampa (founded in Turin in 1867 as La Gazzetta Piemontese) became national in 1895. In 1899 the Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino was born, Giovanni Agnelli's Fiat, which in 1913, following the model of Ford, became the first company in the peninsula to manufacture cars in series. In 1906, the Lancia car company was also launched in Turin

The capital of Piedmont became the headquarters of large companies and was gradually transformed into a working-class city, with new working-class neighbourhoods, particularly in the north and west of the city. Alongside the mechanical and automotive industries, the textile, chemical and food sectors also developed (the Martini company was founded in 1867, Lavazza in 1895, etc.)

The population of Turin exceeded one million, becoming the most populous city in Italy. Industrialisation favours the rise of the socialist party in Turin, while the other Piedmontese provinces retain a conservative and moderate political orientation.

This Piedmontese family is the epitome of entrepreneurial success in Turin. Giovanni Agnelli, born in 1866 into a family of landowners, co-founded the Fiat company (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino) in 1899. In 1915, the Lingotto was inaugurated with a racetrack built on the roof of the factory. Giovanni built up a real empire: in 1923 he bought the Juventus football club, in 1924 the newspaper La Stampa and in 1934 he created the ski resort of Sestriere. His son Edoardo died in an accident in 1935 and was succeeded in 1945 by his grandson Giovanni, known as Gianni. Gianni also took over the management of Juve, which he passed on to his brother Umberto in 1955. Gianni made Fiat the largest Italian company. When he died in 2003, his brother Umberto took over but died the following year. The descendants of the founder still run the Agnelli empire today.

The first Italian film production company was founded in Turin. But it was Giovanni Pastrone's Itala Film company that produced the longest and most expensive Italian film of the time, Cabiria (1914), a masterpiece of silent cinema and a symbol of the Turin film industry. All the studio scenes were shot in Turin and the intertitles were written by the nationalist poet Gabriele D'Annunzio. It should be noted that this peplum, a real blockbuster of the time, lasting more than three hours, features the character of Maciste on Italian screens for the first time: the first appearance of a very long series for this figure of the seventh art!

Italy's entry into the First World War in 1915, alongside the Triple Entente (France, Russia and the United Kingdom), favoured industrial production, with the development of the tyre and artificial fibre industries. Fiat grew from 4,000 workers in 1914 to more than 40,000 in 1918.

At the end of the war, social conflicts multiplied, with spectacular strikes. In the 1920s, Turin also experienced a very intense political, academic and cultural life. It was in Turin that the young Sardinian student Antonio Gramsci founded the Marxist journal L'Ordine nuovo in 1919 in order to educate the workers and enable them to take their destiny into their own hands. He was to become a leading intellectual in revolutionary and reformist circles throughout the world.

Mussolini's rise to power in 1922 strengthened the links between industry and politics. Although the world economic crisis of 1929 hit Turin hard, the only company not to be seriously affected was Fiat, which launched the first two Italian commercial cars that year and produced planes and tanks during the Second World War. The city, Italy's second largest industrial centre, was therefore a prime target for Allied bombing.

Turin was the victim of one of the most violent bombings in Italy, among the hundred or so air raids that the city suffered during this period, even though it was one of the most anti-fascist cities in Italy, stubbornly challenging the regime. Piedmont as a whole was the scene of a fierce struggle, with every action of the Resistance being followed by heavy reprisals in the countryside.

The situation of Turin after the Second World War was delicate: during the bombing, it lost 40% of its buildings and more than 1,000 production sites were neutralized. The 1946 referendum for the establishment of the republic resulted in a victory for the left-wing parties: Turin definitively moved away from its monarchical tradition and Piedmont became a region (the second largest in terms of surface area after Sicily) of the new republic.

The plane carrying the Torino Football Club team crashed on the Superga hill near Turin, killing all 31 passengers. The club, which had won the last five Italian championships, would never recover, winning only one more championship in 1976.

Turin became one of the symbols of the so-called Italian economic miracle. The weight of Piedmont's industry in the national economy continued to grow, with Fiat of course, but also with the Olivetti company, which produced the famous typewriters, founded in Ivrea, and the Ferrero food group created in 1946 in Alba. This economic development led to the massive arrival of hundreds of thousands of immigrants from the south of Italy, attracted by the growing demand for labour, even though salaries remained particularly low. The population of Turin rose from 700,000 in the early 1950s to 1,200,000 in 1970.

But this upturn did not last very long. From the 1970s onwards, the oil crisis weighed heavily on the Italian industrial system in general and on Turin in particular. The relocation of production away from Turin led to strikes and strong social tensions. The political climate became very heavy throughout Italy and numerous terrorist attacks plunged the country into mourning for over ten years. Turin was not spared these "years of lead". From the 1980s onwards, strong immigration from outside the European Union profoundly changed the social fabric of the region.

The last years of the 20th century were marked by a loss of competitiveness in the industrial sector, deeply affected by the disappearance of the Olivetti company and by the crisis in the car industry. The closure of the Lingotto, the Fiat factory in Turin, in 1982, marked the end of an era. The region then tried to compensate for this decline by developing tourism and promoting its cultural heritage, but also through contemporary creation, particularly design. Turin and Piedmont are definitely turning towards luxury, winter sports and gastronomy.

The Olympic Games in Turin are giving a big boost to the regional economy, helping to enhance the environmental and artistic heritage of Piedmont. For this occasion, the city even built a metro line, which had been desired for decades.

Turin is designated "World Design Capital".

Juventus won the Italian football championship and began an incredible run of nine consecutive titles until 2020. The "Old Lady", founded in 1897, is the most successful club in Italy (36 victories in 117 editions, far ahead of runners-up Inter Milan, with 19 titles, and AC Milan, with 18 titles).

Like Virginia Raggi in Rome, the municipal elections in Turin saw the surprise victory of a young unknown woman: Chiarra Appendino, 32. Belonging to the 5-Star Movement, she benefited, among other things, from the votes of the supporters of the group No TAV (Treno Alta Velocità). Indeed, for several years, violent controversies have been stirring up in the region about the high-speed train that should link Lyon to Turin in 1 hour and 45 minutes, strongly contested by environmental associations and local communities. Despite frequent clashes between No TAV demonstrators and the police, work is proceeding. However, the project, which was launched in 1991, has still not been completed 30 years later. There is now talk of it being commissioned in 2030..

Guiseppe Conte's Italian government of Northern League-M5S coalition, in place since 2018, bursts when Matteo Salvini, leader of the far right, slams the door in an effort to force early elections. But the M5S forms, against all odds, a coalition with the center-left PD to form a new government, placing the Northern League in de facto opposition.

The Covid-19 epidemic started in Northern Italy, mainly in Lombardy and Veneto, the two first European clusters, before spreading to the whole country and the rest of Europe, plunging the country into a long confinement.

Mario Draghi, former ECB governor, is appointed Prime Minister of Italy