Why was the Basilica of Superga built?
In 1706 Turin was under siege by the French and Spanish armies. Tradition says Duke Victor Amadeus II climbed the hill with Prince Eugene of Savoy to study the enemy positions and vowed to build a church to the Virgin if the city held. The battle of 7 September freed Turin, and ten years later Juvarra, the Sicilian architect then redesigning the Savoy capital, began the work. The result is one of the finest late baroque buildings in Italy: a central-plan temple with a 75 metre dome, a columned portico and two symmetrical bell towers, designed to be read from the city below as a sign.
What can you visit at Superga?
The church and the dome. The interior is bright, with marble altars and stucco work. Climb the 131 steps of the dome and you come out onto the panoramic balcony: Turin below, the Po running through it, and the Alps in a half circle, with Monviso to the south-west and Monte Rosa to the north. The basilica opens daily (weekdays 10am–1.30pm and 2.30pm–6pm, weekends and holidays 10am–7pm); the dome climb costs €4 (free under 12) and stays closed in rain, fog or snow.
The Royal Tombs. The crypt, visited with a guide (€6), holds 62 members of the House of Savoy, from Victor Amadeus II to Charles Albert, with the exception of the kings of Italy buried in the Pantheon in Rome. Three centuries of Savoy history written in marble.
The Royal Apartment. Five rooms on the first floor of the convent used by the sovereigns during their visits, with original furniture and portraits (€6, or €5 with a Royal Tombs ticket). Since 2021 the complex has been run by the Sermig community; current hours and prices are on basilicadisuperga.org.
The Grande Torino memorial. Behind the basilica a plaque remembers the players, staff and crew who died on 4 May 1949, when the aircraft bringing the team back from Lisbon hit the embankment of the basilica in thick fog. Torino had won four consecutive league titles and would be awarded a fifth. Every year on 4 May supporters and players climb to Superga. The Grande Torino museum is not here but in Grugliasco, west of the city, about forty minutes away by car.
How do you get to Superga?
By car. From Turin you climb through Sassi along the Strada Comunale di Superga, or come along the panoramic ridge road from Pino Torinese. There is parking near the basilica, though it fills early on fine weekends.
By the Sassi–Superga rack tramway. Built in 1884 as a funicular and converted to a rack tramway in 1934, it climbs 3.1 kilometres of track with gradients up to 21%, from Sassi station in Piazza Modena (reachable by tram 15 from Piazza Castello, or buses 61 and 68 from Piazza Vittorio) to Superga station at 650 metres. After winter maintenance it returned to service on 3 April 2026, running hourly: weekdays 10am to 6pm, weekends from 9am (summer Saturdays until evening); closed on Wednesdays, when bus 79/ replaces it. Return ticket €6 on weekdays, €9 on Saturdays and holidays. Seasonal timetables on gtt.to.it.
By bike. The climb from Sassi to the basilica is about 5 kilometres at an average close to 9%, with stretches above 12%: the benchmark climb for Turin cyclists. From the Pino Torinese side the ridge road is gentler and more scenic.
On foot. Waymarked woodland trails start in the Superga park and around Pino Torinese; allow one to two hours depending on where you set off.
How long do you need at Superga?
An hour and a half for the church, the dome and the memorial; two and a half hours if you add the Royal Tombs and the museum without rushing. Late afternoon is the best moment, when low light draws the Alps and the coaches have already left.
Where to stay near the Basilica of Superga?
On the same hill, in Pino Torinese. Paradise – Nature & Wellness is a family-run B&B at Via Valle Gola 37BIS: Mansarda Paradise, with two bedrooms and a hot tub, sleeps up to eight; The Green Space, ninety square metres with a kitchen and garden access, sleeps six and is pet friendly. Breakfast and free parking are included, vans and coaches too. Central Turin is a ten minute drive, the bus 30 stop a ten minute walk. Book directly on WhatsApp: +39 338 993 03 39.
Book directly on WhatsApp, breakfast and parking included.
