According to the Torinese there was no good reason for subsequently moving the capital to Florence (and, later, to Rome). But the legacy of Turin’s time at the top is reflected in an abundance of beautiful baroque façades, courtyards, tree-lined boulevards and wide-open piazze, all set against the spectacular backdrop of the River Po and the Alps.

The city is dominated by the Mole Antonelliana, a 530-foot tower with a star on the top, built in 1859. A skywards ride in its vertiginous glass lift offers breathtaking views while its lower floors house the National Museum of Cinema (via Montebello 20, 011 812 5658, www.museonazionaledelcinema.it, closed Mon).

Turin’s historical importance is evident in the quality of its museum collections. The one in the Egyptian Museum (via Accademia delle Scienze 6, 011 561 7776, www.museoegizio.org, closed Mon) is the biggest of its kind outside Cairo. The imposing, rather stern façade of the 17th-century Palazzo Reale, the first Savoy residence (piazzetta Reale, 011 436 1455, closed Mon), contrasts with the impressively ornate baroque interior, full of family portraits, tapestries and furniture.

The Shroud of Turin, purportedly Jesus’s burial wrap and kept in the Capella della Sindone in the Duomo (piazza San Giovanni, 011 436 1540), is the city’s mystical symbol but there’s not much to see as it’s locked away in a jewel-encrusted chest and only unveiled every 25 years (the next sighting is in 2025).

The Lingotto complex (via Nizza 230), housed in the former Fiat factory transformed by Renzo Piano, lies a ten-minute bus ride south of the city centre. It houses the Agnelli family’s impressive modern art collection (011 006 2008, www.pinacoteca-agnelli.it, closed Mon), and a vast conference, exhibition and shopping centre, cinemas and an auditorium, plus two luxury hotels.

• Tourist information: piazza Solferino 1 (011 535 901, www.turismotorino.org).