Lingotto (Former Fiat Factory)
Lingotto (Former Fiat Factory) features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Turin. Give it roughly ~90 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type museum
- Suggested visit ~90 min
- Turin Turin guide
About Lingotto (Former Fiat Factory)
The legendary 1923 Fiat factory with a rooftop test track, now a cultural and shopping centre housing the Pinacoteca Agnelli art gallery with works by Canaletto, Matisse, and Picasso.
The Lingotto building is one of the most remarkable industrial buildings in history, and its story is a perfect emblem of Turin's transformation from automotive capital to cultural city. Built between 1916 and 1923 to a design by engineer Giacomo Mattè-Trucco, the Lingotto was at the time the largest factory in Europe, a five-storey ramp-connected production line where raw materials entered at the ground floor and completed cars rolled off the top. Most extraordinarily, the rooftop of the factory was a banked test track, a 500-metre oval circuit where production cars were test-driven before being shipped. The track's steeply banked curves are still visible today and are one of the most surreal architectural sights in Italy. Le Corbusier called it "one of the most impressive sights in industry." When Fiat closed the factory in 1982, Renzo Piano was commissioned to convert it. Piano transformed the building into a conference centre, shopping mall, hotels, and exhibition spaces, while preserving the famous rooftop track. On the roof, Piano also added a glass "bubble", a transparent meeting room cantilevered over the edge of the building, and a helicopter pad. The Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli, a stunning art gallery housing the personal collection of Gianni Agnelli, includes twenty-five masterpieces including Canaletto, Matisse, Tiepolo, and Picasso.
Did you know? The Lingotto was used as a filming location for The Italian Job (1969), where Michael Caine drove Mini Coopers on the rooftop track in the famous climactic chase scene.
How long is a visit to Lingotto (Former Fiat Factory)?
Set aside roughly ~90 min for Lingotto (Former Fiat Factory). That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Lingotto (Former Fiat Factory) worth your time?
Lingotto (Former Fiat Factory) is among the 22 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Turin, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Turin
Hear the story of Lingotto (Former Fiat Factory)
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