(It. Torino, anc. Augusta Taurinorum), the capital of the kingdom of Sardinia, and of a province of the same name, in Piedmont, near the Po, where it receives the Dora Riparia, 79 miles W.S.W. of Milan. The natural advantages of its situation are very great, as it stands in a broad, fertile, and well-watered valley, enclosed by the offsets of the Cottian Alps on the north-west, and by the hills of Monferrato, which rise immediately above the right bank of the Po, on the south-east; while towards the north-east it opens out into the plain of Lombardy. The beauty of the environs is still further enhanced by the many fine edifices on the adjacent hills, and by the beautiful approach to the town from the west, by an avenue of noble trees, extending from the town of Rivoli, and thus being one of the longest in Europe. There are three bridges over the Po, and two over the Doria; one of the latter being a magnificent structure of a single arch. The form of the city is oblong; and it is about a mile and a quarter long by half a mile broad. Its size is rapidly increasing, and the former fortifications have been destroyed to make way for the construction of new houses and promenades. Turin is thus quite an open town; but it is defended by a regular citadel to the west, which is one of the strongest in Italy. Few European towns are more regularly laid out than this, at least in its modern portions, which form by far the greatest part of the city. The old part of the town, which lies towards the west, consists of narrow crooked streets and ill-built houses. In the new town, on the contrary, the streets are broad and straight, crossing each other at right angles. The houses are for the most part four or five storeys high, and many long ranges have a perfect uniformity of architecture. The monotony thus produced is somewhat relieved by the variety of sculptures and other decorations that adorn the fronts of the buildings, and by the glimpses every now and then obtained of the fine scenery in the environs. Turin possesses thirteen public squares, some of which are very fine. The Piazza di Castello, near the centre of the town, is spacious, and surrounded with handsome buildings. It derives its name from having in the centre the old palace of the dukes of Savoy, a castellated building surrounded by a moat. It has four fronts, one of which, in the Corinthian style, is considered the finest in Turin. The modern palace occupies the north side of the same square; it is a large building, with extensive gardens attached to it, and contains a fine collection of paintings.

On the east side of the square stands the great theatre, one of the finest in Italy, erected from designs by Allieri. From this square there stretches a street half a mile long to the Po, which is here crossed by a handsome bridge of five arches. This street, like several other streets and squares, is lined on each side with arcades, which gives it a very fine appearance. The largest and one of the finest squares in Turin is that of St Charles, which contains a statue by Marchetti of Emmanuel Philibert, duke of Savoy. Turin contains many private palaces, some of considerable size; but for the most part in bad taste, and not equal to those in many other Italian towns. Of public buildings there are few remarkable for antiquity or historical associations; but many of modern origin are very fine. The cathedral of St John Baptist, built in the sixteenth century, is small, and externally remarkable only for the arabesques which decorate its front. Its interior is richly adorned with frescoes, and has some fine paintings. Near the cathedral is the chapel called Santo Sudario, a small round building, encased with black marble, and considered a masterpiece of Guarini. Of the other churches, the most remarkable are San Filippo Neri, the largest and one of the finest in the town, though still unfinished; Corpus Domini, a tasteless building, but very profusely decorated; and La Gran Madre de Dio, a modern imitation of the Pantheon at Rome, erected to commemorate the restoration of the royal family in 1814. Turin has in all 110 churches and chapels, mostly Roman Catholic; but as Protestantism is tolerated here, a fine building, in the Lombard style, has been erected, in 1853, for the Waldensian church. There were formerly many monasteries and nunneries in the town; but, recently, these have all been abolished, except such as are actually engaged in works of charity, comparatively few in number. The University of Turin, founded in 1412, occupies a fine building, with a quadrangle surrounded by arcades, in which are placed a number of ancient sculptures and inscriptions. It has a library of 112,000 volumes, and 2000 MSS., a gallery of ancient statues, a very valuable collection of medals, and an Egyptian museum, inferior to few collections of the kind in Europe, besides museums of anatomy and natural history, and a good botanic garden. There are 5 faculties: theology, law, medicine, surgery, and arts; 84 professors, and, in 1858-59, 1376 students. The Royal Academy of Sciences, founded in 1783, consists of 40 members; and possesses valuable collections of zoology, mineralogy, and antiquities. Besides the university, there are various subordinate educational institutions, such as the episcopal seminary, royal military academy, several colleges and elementary schools, institutions for the deaf and dumb, and for the blind. The charitable institutions of the town are numerous, and well managed; and among them are the general hospital, the Spedale de San Luigi, the lunatic asylum, and others. There are also various government offices in the town. The senate holds its meetings in the ancient ducal palace, and the chamber of deputies in the Carignan palace, formerly the residence of the royal princes. Other important buildings are the courthouses, register-office, custom-house, and town-hall, the last adorned with a lofty but unfinished tower. Besides the large theatre already mentioned, there are several of smaller size, and various other places of amusement. Turin is the see of an archbishop, the seat of the court, government, and legislature of Sardinia, of a supreme law-court for the kingdom, an inferior tribunal, and chambers of agriculture and commerce. The manufactures of the town consist chiefly of woollen, linen, cotton, and silk cloth, hosiery, leather, paper, glass, china, ironmongery, musical and philosophical instruments, carriages, arms, &c. There are also distilleries and dyeworks in the place. The principal article of trade Turkestan is silk, from which the wealth of the town is chiefly derived; but there is also some commerce in corn, wine, fruit, and other produce of the surrounding country. The city is connected by railways with Genoa, Alessandria, Novara, Cuneo, Pignerol, and Susa; and to the towns not on these lines diligences and mail-coaches regularly ply. In the vicinity of the capital there are several royal residences, a hunting-palace and park, and a royal riding-school, with a stud and veterinary college. The language of the common people in Turin is the Piedmontese dialect; but Italian is used in all official transactions, and it and French are spoken by the upper classes. Of the origin of Turin little is known; but its foundation is ascribed to a people called the Taurini or Taurisci. After the second Punic war it became a Roman colony; and, subsequently, in honour of Augustus, received the name of Augusta Taurinorum. It was taken and sacked by the Goths, and afterwards by the Lombards; and during the contests between the emperors and the popes it was of some importance, being for a time independent under its bishops. At length, however, the dukes of Savoy made a claim to sovereignty over it; and, in 1418, made it their capital. Since then its history is merged in that of Sardinia. Pop. (1852) 143,137.