account Piazza Statuto in Turin: between history and magic
Built starting from 1863 based on the design of architect Giuseppe Bollati, who gave it a neoclassical imprint with palaces featuring underlying porticoes, it was the last of the great squares of the Risorgimento period of the Savoyard capital. It is dedicated to the Statuto Albertino, the monarchical constitution written by King Charles Albert of Savoy. It mainly intersects with Via Luigi Cibrario, Corso Francia, which in Latin times was the road leading to Gaul, and Via Garibaldi, which was the decumanus maximus of Julia Augusta Taurinorum (original name of Turin). But Piazza Statuto fascinates the tourist also and above all for the esotericism that distinguishes it: Turin is said to be one of the vertices of the “Black Magic Triangle”, along with London and San Francisco. In the piazza also stands the fountain of the Fréjus Tunnel, Palazzo Paravia and the BBPR tower. Ancient and modern blend with particular grace in one of the most evocative and iconic places in the city, just like the Mole Antonelliana.
History and points of interest of Piazza Statuto in Turin
The history of Piazza Statuto mainly coincides with two main historical periods, the Roman and the Risorgimento. The site was delimited by the Latins in the western part of the castrum of the Roman Quadrilatero, beyond the city walls of Porta Segusina, near the current Piazza Savoia. The function of the Roman square was not the most noble, and this represents one of the first reasons that lead experts to speak of magical Turin.
In the Risorgimento era, the square was arranged and enlarged at the behest of Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy, with the constitution of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. The king wanted to celebrate the prestige of the city. The works were entrusted to the London construction company Italian Building Society LTD, which in 1863 began the construction of the neoclassical buildings that delimit its perimeter, with the classic porticoes that allowed nobles and courtiers to walk even on rainy days.
At the center of the gardens, on the other hand, is the fountain of the Fréjus Tunnel, obviously dedicated to the infrastructural works that allowed to tunnel through the mountain and build the railway that connected Modane, in France, and the Val di Susa in Piedmont. The monument, completed in 1879, originated from an intuition of the Count of Veglio, president of the Academy of Fine Arts, and was built with the blocks from the tunnel. At the top stands the Winged Genius, a statue that bears a five-pointed star on its head. On the blocks are placed some titans struck down by the Genius. There are two explanations: on one hand, the work celebrates the victory of reason over brute force, on the other hand, it could represent the suffering of the men who worked on the construction of the tunnel.
Among the historic palaces of Piazza Statuto, Palazzo Paravia stands out at civic number 18, acquired by Innocenzo Paravia in 1865. Innocenzo was the heir to the Turin publishing empire, to the point of attributing his name to that of the building.
The esotericism of Piazza Statuto
Piazza Statuto is the fulcrum of esoteric legends that designate the city as one of the vertices of the world's Black Magic Triangle. Some experts believe that this vertex coincides precisely with the top of the Fréjus Tunnel fountain; others identify it with the obelisk present in the square that bears a small astrolabe at its top, erected in 1808 on a geodesic point to celebrate the trigonometric calculation of 1760 on the length of the terrestrial meridian. Still others see Lucifer represented in the Titan of the fountain.
But the reasons that qualify the city as magical Turin mainly concern its origins. In the ancient Roman era, the square was often used as a necropolis and as a site for capital executions: the Valdocco district itself, near the square, is said to derive from the Latin valle occisorium. And then, from 1821 to 1852, Piazza Statuto bordered the nearby Rondò dla Forca, another place dedicated to capital executions. Finally, at the center of the square near the fountain there is access to the sewage system, which has its main hub in this place. This element has, over time, favored the birth of new legends and beliefs that see the square as the urban point of black magic: an entry point to the Alchemical Caves present in Turin.
The surroundings of Piazza Statuto
The square is located in the heart of the city and some of the most famous points of interest are reachable on foot, an added reason to enjoy the charm of Turin by walking through its elegant and regal streets. In less than twenty minutes you can reach the Royal Gardens area to discover the Royal Palace in all its majesty. From there, treat yourself to a walk in the Royal Museums. In just over twenty minutes southeast, you arrive in the Via Roma axis area: visit Piazza San Carlo, the city's living room, and let yourself be seduced by the neoclassical porticoes, historic cafes and the iconic equestrian statue of Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy. A stone's throw away is the Egyptian Museum, with its 40,000 archaeological artifacts of the Nilotic civilization. Those who prefer to discover another of the elements that bear witness to the city's Latin history can move further north where they will find Porta Palatina, an important monument of Turin.
For Turinese, Piazza Statuto is a symbol of history and architecture, of esotericism but also subculture: the majority of the city's mods have chosen civic number 18 as their meeting point every Saturday afternoon.
Savoy atmospheres, royal architecture, esotericism. Turin remains a city of a thousand faces, also enhanced by considerable cultural ferment. A perfect destination for a holiday with family, as a couple, or with friends. Come and visit it at any time of the year and choose our B&B Hotel Torino President for a perfect stay in the city center: total comfort and best value for money. We await you.