Books, churches, and vermouth
Luxemburg Bookshop
Originally founded in 1872 under the name “Casanova,” Luxemburg Bookshop is exactly how I like my bookshops — cozy and messy.
It was in 1974 that Angelo Pezzana, an activist, politician, and journalist partially responsible for founding the Turin International Book Fair in 1987 and the Fuori! (the first Italian gay movement) in 1971, purchased the bookshop and changed its name to Luxemburg.
Pezzana also sought to redirect its focus to more Jewish- and LGTBQ+-friendly literature, and today the shop has been internationally recognized and ranked among the most famous bookshops in the world (the like of Shakespeare & Co. in Paris, Lello in Porto, and Central in Barcelona).
Chiesa di San Filippo Neri
I stumbled upon this church quite by chance. I was headed somewhere else, but saw its large gates open and thought… why not? and walked inside. I was immediately struck by its sheer size, especially as it’s tightly surrounded by other buildings and it was difficult to grasp its dimensions properly before walking inside. Y’all, it’s huge. As in, the largest-church-in-Turin huge.
It was commissioned by Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy — with a design by Antonio Bettini — and completed after his death in 1675 under the patronage of his widow, Maria Giovanna Battista of Savoy-Nemours. The roof collapsed in 1706 during the Siege of Turin, and it was rebuilt in 1715-1730 by Filippo Juvarra.
The altarpiece was designed by Antonio Bertola, with statues by Francesco Plura, and a painting by Carlo Maratta.
Palazzo Asinari di San Marzano
This palazzo was built in 1684-1686 by Michelangelo Garove to be the home of the Marquis Asinari di San Marzano.
The building was later sold to the Ceriana family, and in 1946 to Silvio Turati (the building is also referred to as Palazzo Turati) who turned it into the headquarters for the Carpano company, which produced vermouth.
Gold Colored Fox 