Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano

About the museum

The museum dates in spirit from 1878 and is the oldest Italian museum devoted to the Risorgimento and the only one of national character. It is in Turin, in Palazzo Carignano, a Baroque masterpiece by Guarino Guarini and a UNESCO site since 1997: the palace was the residence of the cadet branch of the Savoy-Carignano family, and Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of Italy, was born there.

An essential part of the visit is the chamber of the Subalpine Parliament, the first representative assembly of Savoyard Piedmont, founded in 1848 with the Statuto Albertino. Carlo Sada transformed the 17th-century elliptical hall of the palace in just over a month; protagonists of the Risorgimento such as Cavour, Gioberti and D’Azeglio spoke there, up to the last session on 28 December 1860. Today it is the only chamber of 1848 still intact in Europe and has the status of a national monument.

The exhibition tells the birth of united Italy as a political, military, cultural, social and economic phenomenon, through objects, documents and testimonies. The museum unfolds over 30 rooms, each identified by a colour, and holds over 2,500 objects on display. Alongside the rooms there is a specialised library, a historical archive, a periodicals library (emeroteca) and a print room; the collections include, among other things, prints, maps, about 17,500 photographs and thousands of posters.

Highlights

• Chamber of the Subalpine Parliament from 1848, the only one intact in Europe
• Route through 30 coloured rooms with over 2,500 objects
• Palazzo Carignano, a Baroque masterpiece by Guarino Guarini
• Objects and documents linked to Garibaldi, Cavour, D’Azeglio and Gioberti
• Children’s audio guide with the character Nino

Permanent exhibition

• Percorso permanente e Aula del Parlamento Subalpino – Thirty thematic rooms on the Risorgimento in Palazzo Carignano, with room 16 housing the intact chamber of the Subalpine Parliament.

Founded

1878

Visitors per year

approx. 120,364

Admission & discounts

Free admission also for teachers, holders of the Abbonamento Musei Torino Piemonte, ICOM members, Torino+Piemonte Card and Royal Card. The ticket gives access to the permanent collections and temporary exhibitions and includes the audio guide as a web app (QR code to be requested at the ticket office).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

All spaces are accessible and the display cases can be seen from a seated position; the accessible entrance is in the courtyard of Palazzo Carignano, and a wheelchair is available free of charge at reception. For visually impaired visitors: an interactive map, a tactile model of the palace and tactile panels in every room, a dedicated route in the video audio guide, audio guides with a Braille keypad and small binoculars for reading the captions. For hearing-impaired visitors: a route in LIS in the video audio guide and free bone-conduction headphones at the ticket office.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Baby changing facilities

Children’s audio guide with the character Nino, who offers quizzes, sound effects and games in every room; family ticket €20; dedicated guided tours by booking. UNICEF baby pit stop with changing table and nursing room.

Getting there & parking

By car: A21 motorway (Torino–Piacenza) or A4 (Torino–Milano), exit Torino Corso Unità d’Italia.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Bookshop; left luggage only for small items, and lockers to be cleared by 17:45.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit