The sky above Turin

Paraphrasing by assonance the title of one of Wim Wenders' most acclaimed masterpieces (in that case the "special" city was Berlin), we dedicate today's post to the ever-beautiful Turin. It is no coincidence that the reference is of a cinematographic nature, given that specifically we tell you about the National Cinema Museum located in the Mole Antonelliana, a symbolic monument of the Piedmontese capital.

Soon we will dedicate a post all to the city that was also the first Capital of Italy (from 1861 to 1865), as well as one of the major university, cultural, tourist and scientific centers of the country. After many years I had the opportunity to return to Turin some time ago, and I was very favorably impressed. I was surprised by the extreme cultural vivacity, the cleanliness, and a newfound class and elegance (the Winter Olympics have certainly contributed in this sense in the "restyling" operations) of what is the Italian capital of the automobile industry, and an important center of publishing, telecommunications, food and wine, design, sports, and last but not least, cinema.

Perhaps not everyone knows that Turin is the Italian city where the Seventh Art took its first steps: so the decision to set up the National Cinema Museum here, precisely inside the Mole Antonelliana, is not at all out of place. Once inside, the visual impact leaves you astonished… the work designed by the Swiss set designer François Confino is splendid, namely a spectacular exhibition route articulated on multiple levels, arranged vertically. Confino has recreated environments and sets that hark back to the collective cinematic imagination, working with ingenuity and imagination in the labyrinth of visiting routes, where one is inevitably involved by continuous and unexpected visual and auditory stimuli. Among film clips, posters, precious period documents and various gadgets, the visitor takes an authentic journey through the history of cinema, from the dawn of time to the present day, from the silent era to the current era, that of astonishing special effects. Eras and sectors of the Seventh Art are divided as best as possible, always giving the visitor the impression of being an explorer himself, a sort of adventurer in the never-too-explored world of the big screen. All to be immortalized are the many memorabilia on display: Joan Crawford's costumes for "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" and those worn by Peter O'Toole for "Lawrence of Arabia", Charlie Chaplin/Charlot's bowler hat, Marilyn Monroe's personal objects, the masks from "Star Wars", the first draft of the screenplay for "Citizen Kane" and "The Godfather" and even… Superman's cape! The National Museum is also the scene of events and demonstrations, and also hosts prestigious temporary exhibitions: when I was there, there was a beautiful retrospective on the world of Japanese comics and cartoons (I couldn't help but photograph a print of Goldrake!) that unfolded from the bottom to the top in the enveloping spiral of the dome. Between the dream of Hollywood stars and the celebration of our cinema, I also recommend taking the elevator up to the Mole Antonelliana, and from there enjoying the breathtaking view of the city, and like an angel by Wenders admiring more closely… the sky above Turin.

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