Description
Piazza Vittorio Veneto, simply Piazza Vittorio to Turin locals, is the great arcaded square at the end of Via Po, open to the river and the hill. By day it is an elegant lounge, by night one of the city's busiest meeting places.
It measures 360 by 111 meters, rectangular with one side curving toward Via Po. Between the arcades, the view runs all the way to the Vittorio Emanuele I Bridge and, on the opposite bank, to the church of the Gran Madre di Dio with the Monte dei Cappuccini behind it.
Along the long sides run the neoclassical arcades designed around 1821 by Giuseppe Frizzi, from Ticino: round arches with three floors above. Underneath are cafés, bistros and outdoor terraces, just as in the 19th century, when the square was the showcase of elegant Turin.
The detail almost nobody notices: the square is not level. Between Via Po and the river it drops by 7.19 meters, and Frizzi designed the buildings in perspective to hide it. If you walk under the arcades all the way to the end, you realize they stand taller there compared with the pavement.
Next to the bridge, along the river, are the Murazzi del Po, the old boat shelters along the riverbank, now turned into a place for strolling. And Piazza Vittorio is still the city's stage: concerts, May Day marches, the feast of St. John.
For centuries it was a parade ground, and the slope down to the river made the parades more spectacular. When King Victor Emmanuel I returned to Turin in 1814 after the French, the square and the bridge were named after him.
The current name started as a nickname. After the Great War, a square was sought to dedicate to the victory of Vittorio Veneto: this one was chosen, since everyone already called it "Piazza Vittorio". So, since 1920, nobody has had to change their habits.
Cinema has passed through here too: in 1969 the cars of The Italian Job raced right under these arcades.
It measures 360 by 111 meters, rectangular with one side curving toward Via Po. Between the arcades, the view runs all the way to the Vittorio Emanuele I Bridge and, on the opposite bank, to the church of the Gran Madre di Dio with the Monte dei Cappuccini behind it.
Along the long sides run the neoclassical arcades designed around 1821 by Giuseppe Frizzi, from Ticino: round arches with three floors above. Underneath are cafés, bistros and outdoor terraces, just as in the 19th century, when the square was the showcase of elegant Turin.
The detail almost nobody notices: the square is not level. Between Via Po and the river it drops by 7.19 meters, and Frizzi designed the buildings in perspective to hide it. If you walk under the arcades all the way to the end, you realize they stand taller there compared with the pavement.
Next to the bridge, along the river, are the Murazzi del Po, the old boat shelters along the riverbank, now turned into a place for strolling. And Piazza Vittorio is still the city's stage: concerts, May Day marches, the feast of St. John.
For centuries it was a parade ground, and the slope down to the river made the parades more spectacular. When King Victor Emmanuel I returned to Turin in 1814 after the French, the square and the bridge were named after him.
The current name started as a nickname. After the Great War, a square was sought to dedicate to the victory of Vittorio Veneto: this one was chosen, since everyone already called it "Piazza Vittorio". So, since 1920, nobody has had to change their habits.
Cinema has passed through here too: in 1969 the cars of The Italian Job raced right under these arcades.