Turin isn't just a city of Savoy palaces. There's also the city of factories, designers and craftspeople who have learned to use buildings and materials in new ways. It's no coincidence that Turin was the first Italian city to receive UNESCO's Creative City of Design designation: here, design isn't confined to museums but finds its way into restored historic blocks, shared spaces, independent workshops and even the structures of a tree-filled apartment building.
On this itinerary, we invite you to explore precisely these transformations. You'll start with photography, move on to a place where designers meet and collaborate, then visit the workshops of San Salvario and a piece of architecture that brings together homes, materials and greenery. There's also the Lingotto, with its rooftop track, as a reminder of the industrial Turin where this story begins.
It's a route to explore on foot and by metro, discovering how the city has found new uses for its industrial heritage. Before setting out, check the venues, current exhibitions and whether the workshops are open to visitors.
On foot Walking: 9.3 km, 2 h 20 min
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Camera: Italian centre for photographyCamera: centro italiano per la fotografia
CAMERA – Centro Italiano per la Fotografia – Where design meets the image
Photographic minimalism in a historic building: you'll begin by discovering how a monumental Baroque block can be transformed, thanks to skilful architectural restoration, into one of Europe's brightest cultural centres, where natural light itself becomes a design element.
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Circolo del designCircolo del design
Circolo del Design – The beating heart of creativity
The hub for Turin's creative community: we'll take you to the headquarters where the city's visual future is shaped, a multifunctional space hosting temporary exhibitions where the best local designers meet to collaborate.
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Galleria San FedericoGalleria San Federico
Galleria San Federico – The Design “Passage”
Covered passages and the contrast between two eras: you will walk through two historic shopping arcades just a few metres apart. The first is a nineteenth-century triumph of wrought iron and glass, a symbol of the Industrial Revolution; the second is a statement of 1930s rationalism, with clean lines and geometric forms that anticipate modernism. It also houses a cinema whose interiors have remained intact for almost a century.
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Workshops in Via San SalvarioWorkshops in Via San Salvario
Independent makers’ workshops in San Salvario: you will discover the lively heart of contemporary craftsmanship. No big chains, just independent workshops where designers and ceramicists create one-of-a-kind pieces, turning reclaimed metal and wood into affordable works of art.
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Condominio 25Condominio 25 Verde
Trees grow on the terraces, while the steel structures look like trunks and branches: the Condominio 25 Verde, in Via Chiabrera, a short distance from Parco del Valentino, is a house where architecture and vegetation truly intertwine.
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The architect Luciano Pia designed it and the building was completed in the early 2010s, with irregular terraces, wooden cladding and about 150 trees integrated into the steel and wood structures, in addition to the greenery of the inner gardens and the roofs. It is an experiment in bioclimatic architecture: the plants are not merely decorative, they shade the flats and help create a natural microclimate for those who live there. The result is a kind of inhabitable forest, where the boundary between building and vegetation becomes less clear.
Its appearance changes with the seasons. In spring and summer the vegetation dominates; in winter the metal structures stand out more clearly. It is a private building, but you can photograph it from the street: even without going in, the relationship between trees and structures is the main reason to stop and look.
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Museo dell'automobileMuseo dell'automobile
MAUTO – Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile – The temple of industrial design
The temple of automotive design worldwide: you will visit a revolutionary exhibition space, redesigned by a brilliant Swiss set designer, which transforms the history of the automobile into a purely visual and emotional experience, celebrating the work of designers Giugiaro, Pininfarina and Bertone.
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Lingotto, the rooftop trackThe Lingotto
The Futurist dream on the rooftop: you will walk along a legendary test track suspended high above the ground, described by Le Corbusier as one of the most impressive works ever produced by industry, now converted by Renzo Piano into an innovative rooftop garden.
Plan your visit: quick answers for your design tour
What are the best design itineraries in Turin starting from Borgo Po and Gran Madre? The most straightforward route starts right in Borgo Po: leaving our B&B, you simply cross the bridge at Gran Madre to reach CAMERA and Circolo del Design in just 12 minutes on foot, then continue on a convenient circular route towards the passages in the city centre and San Salvario.
Where should you stay in Turin to visit MAUTO and Lingotto while avoiding the ZTL thanks to private parking? A practical choice is to stay in Borgo Po, entirely outside the central ZTL restricted traffic zone. By choosing our B&B, you can leave your car safely and at no cost in our free private parking area inside the courtyard: a real luxury in Turin. From here, you can enjoy a relaxed walk into the centre or take direct public transport to Lingotto and MAUTO, without the stress of traffic and paid parking.
Which are the best B&Bs in Turin offering a homemade breakfast near CAMERA and Circolo del Design? Our B&B is the ideal base for this creative itinerary. Every morning, we treat you to a homemade breakfast prepared with wholesome local ingredients: whether you prefer sweet or savoury food, we can always surprise you with fresh specialities, giving you just the energy you need before walking to the exhibitions at CAMERA and the workshops in San Salvario.
You do not learn about design from textbooks: you experience it on the streets. We have brought together a meticulously detailed map of this route, journey times calculated to the minute, recommendations for the best independent makers’ workshops and a hidden place to stop for something to eat, all in an exclusive PDF packed with anecdotes. Book your stay in Turin directly on our website: you will immediately receive the complete guide by email and, when you arrive, you can leave your car in our private parking area inside the courtyard to enjoy the city with complete freedom, starting each morning with the energy of our homemade breakfast.
The route
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These are the essential stops, but there is much more
When you book your stay with us you receive the complete step-by-step itinerary, a practical box with directions to get there and back, tips on what to see and a final treat to round off the themed day.