Not to miss

Chiesa della Gran Madre di Dio

This church was built between 1818 and 1831 to commemorate the return of Vittorio Emanuele I from exile. The steps leading up to the church were the ones Michael Caine famously careered down in the cult film, The Italian Job, while some mystics would have you believe that the Holy Grail is actually buried under the church. Its interior is closed to the public.

Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano

Military buffs and history nuts will want to visit this museum, housed in the baroque Palazzo Carignano - the seat of united Italy's first parliament. It has an extensive display of arms, paintings and documents tracing the turbulent century from the revolts of 1848 to WWII.

Duomo di San Giovanni

Built between 1491 and 1498 on the site of three 14th-century basilicas, Turin's cathedral is the city's only remaining example of Renaissance architecture. It also happens to be home to Christendom's most controversial cloth - the Holy Shroud of Turin, a copy of which is on permanent display in front of the cathedral altar.

The Cappella della Santa Sindone (1668-94), the rightful home of the shroud since 1694, has been closed for restoration since 1997 when it was severely damaged by fire.