Gallerie d’Italia – Torino

In Palazzo Turinetti, in Piazza San Carlo in Turin, Intesa Sanpaolo has opened to the public the fourth site of Gallerie d’Italia, mainly devoted to art, photography and video, among the most topical instruments for narrating the contemporary world.
Within the rich Turinese cultural panorama, AMDL CIRCLE has designed a hypogeal cultural space, transforming the rooms previously associated with banking activities (archives, vault, meeting rooms) into spaces devoted to culture. Today we are accustomed to perceiving underground environments (wine cellars, underground railways, car parks) as accessory spaces with respect to those above, and we often forget the almost monumental role that underground environments have played during the course of history. The architectural project by AMDL CIRCLE is intended to showcase the magic of hypogeal constructions and their capacity of catalyse reflection and introspection. The atmosphere is therefore ideal for an exhibition space.
You enter from the internal courtyard of the Bank’s site via a monumental staircase that goes down below ground and carries natural light to the entrance hall, further illuminated by the zenithal light of the skylight. The impressive underground spaces of Palazzo Turinetti and the vaulted gallery beneath the porticos of Piazza San Carlo host the exhibition galleries; then the route continues onto the main floor of Palazzo Turinetti, in rooms rich in decorations, stuccos and mirrors looking out directly onto Piazza San Carlo. The project also envisages areas devoted to educational activities and a restoration laboratory, where it will be possible to observe the skilled know how of the renovators in the care and conservation of works. The project envisages the enlargement of the historic cafeteria with access to the porticos of Piazza San Carlo, to which a second entrance will be added from the internal courtyard of the building to guarantee visitors a welcoming refreshment point.