Bagni di Lucca and Beyond

The Cinema Museum, Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin is housed in the incredible Mole Antonelliana tower. It is named after its architect, Alessandro Antonelli. A mole in Italian is a building of monumental proportions. This one certainly lives up to its name.

The building stands tall in Turin. I took this photo from across the Po River. It was a hazy day, so it is not a great photo.

Its contstruction began in 1863 and was completed in 1889, after the architect’s death. It was original meant to be a synagogue. The rising cost of construction and the declining Jewish population meant the city took over the project.

There were many difficulties involved in getting the complicated roof and spire, but it was eventually finished in April 1889 and was the tallest brick building in Europe at the time.

A close up is hard to get because the surrounding buildings are close.

Since 2000 the building has housed the Cinema Museum….come inside. The space inside is overwhelming. It is quite dark, much like being in a movie theatre.

There is a lot to take in on the ground floor.

There is a ramp on the inside edge of the dome, showing a history of cinema while climbing up. There are scenes from movies, movie clips, movie making equipment, photos of stars, movie posters, anything to do with movies.

There is a lift that takes visitors to the top where there is a viewing platform offering spectacular views over the city.

There are 2 separate tickets. You can buy one to see the museum and/or one for the lift. It is definitely worth doing both. Anyone remotely interested in cinema will find lots to enjoy.