Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum), Turin (must see)
The Egyptian Museum in Turin manages to be both proudly local and strikingly global-a Piedmontese institution that has been obsessed with the Nile since 1630. That was the year the Mensa Isiaca, a bronze altar table bristling with hieroglyphs, found its way to Turin. The Savoy rulers were so intrigued that King Charles Emmanuel III sent Vitaliano Donati to Egypt in 1753, who obligingly returned with hundreds of artifacts from Karnak and Coptos. Think of it as Turin鈥檚 first 鈥渦nboxing鈥� of Egypt.
The real jackpot arrived in 1824, when King Charles Felix snapped up Bernardino Drovetti鈥檚 collection of more than 5,000 items-statues, papyri, mummies, the works. Practically overnight, Turin leapfrogged into the spotlight of Egyptology, even before Cairo had its own museum. A steady flow of new finds followed, not least from the digs of archaeologist Ernesto Schiaparelli in the early 20th century, ensuring the museum鈥檚 shelves were never short of wonders.
Today, the institution houses about 37,000 objects, though a more digestible 3,000 are on display. Visitors can expect everything from colossal New Kingdom statues to fragile papyri (including one with some surprisingly risqu茅 illustrations), as well as household objects that make ancient Egypt feel oddly familiar. The undisturbed tomb of Kha and Merit, complete with funerary treasures, remains one of its crown jewels, while the Temple of Ellesija-gifted to Italy in the 1960s-adds monumental flair.
The museum itself has also reinvented its stage, with renovations in 2006 and a dramatic reimagining in 2015 by designer Dante Ferretti. By 2019, more than 850,000 visitors had wandered its halls, proof that Turin鈥檚 passion for Egypt still resonates. For travelers, the museum offers not just artifacts but a storyline-Egypt鈥檚 long arc of history told with Turin as its unlikely narrator.
The real jackpot arrived in 1824, when King Charles Felix snapped up Bernardino Drovetti鈥檚 collection of more than 5,000 items-statues, papyri, mummies, the works. Practically overnight, Turin leapfrogged into the spotlight of Egyptology, even before Cairo had its own museum. A steady flow of new finds followed, not least from the digs of archaeologist Ernesto Schiaparelli in the early 20th century, ensuring the museum鈥檚 shelves were never short of wonders.
Today, the institution houses about 37,000 objects, though a more digestible 3,000 are on display. Visitors can expect everything from colossal New Kingdom statues to fragile papyri (including one with some surprisingly risqu茅 illustrations), as well as household objects that make ancient Egypt feel oddly familiar. The undisturbed tomb of Kha and Merit, complete with funerary treasures, remains one of its crown jewels, while the Temple of Ellesija-gifted to Italy in the 1960s-adds monumental flair.
The museum itself has also reinvented its stage, with renovations in 2006 and a dramatic reimagining in 2015 by designer Dante Ferretti. By 2019, more than 850,000 visitors had wandered its halls, proof that Turin鈥檚 passion for Egypt still resonates. For travelers, the museum offers not just artifacts but a storyline-Egypt鈥檚 long arc of history told with Turin as its unlikely narrator.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Turin. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "911爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum) on Map
Sight Name: Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum)
Sight Location: Turin, Italy (See walking tours in Turin)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Turin, Italy (See walking tours in Turin)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Turin, Italy
Create Your Own Walk in Turin
Creating your own self-guided walk in Turin is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Turin Introduction Walking Tour
Mark Twain once wrote that Turin鈥檚 streets are 鈥渆xtravagantly wide鈥� and its houses stretch 鈥渁s straight as an arrow鈥�-and he was not exaggerating.
Turin's story begins with the Taurini, a Celtic tribe whose name is tied to the word for 鈥渕ountain.鈥� They lived at the foot of the Alps before the Romans arrived. In 28 BC, the Romans founded Taurinorum here, designing it in their... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles
Turin's story begins with the Taurini, a Celtic tribe whose name is tied to the word for 鈥渕ountain.鈥� They lived at the foot of the Alps before the Romans arrived. In 28 BC, the Romans founded Taurinorum here, designing it in their... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles
Coffee, Food and Chocolate Tour in Turin
Among other things, the capital of Italy's Piedmont region 鈥� Turin 鈥� is well known for its rich culinary tradition, which includes long-standing coffee and chocolate culture. There are several cafes and coffee houses in the city that have been in business for hundreds of years.
The most notable of them are found in the historic heart of the city, such as the Caff猫 al Bicerin.... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.2 Km or 1.4 Miles
The most notable of them are found in the historic heart of the city, such as the Caff猫 al Bicerin.... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.2 Km or 1.4 Miles