Maserati, Fiat, Ferrari and many others at the Turin Automobile Museum

The museum is the brainchild of two men: Cesare Goria Gatti and Roberto Biscaretti di Ruffia, both founding members of Fiat. In the early thirties, they had imagined creating a space, a national motor museum, to pay tribute to those, like them, who had obtained their driving licence more than 25 years earlier. But it was above all Roberto's son, Carlo, who did everything he could to make the creation of this museum possible.

In fact, Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia brought the entire collection together and found a location so that, in 1960, the museum could finally open its doors to the public. The impressive reinforced concrete building, typical of modern architecture in those years, was designed by Amedeo Albertini.

50 years later, the museum has been given a facelift, with a new block adjoining the main building, a new scenography and redesigned spaces. Today, the museum is a huge success, appealing to car enthusiasts of all ages as well as the simply curious.

A visit to Mauto begins on the2nd

floor, which is devoted to the history of the car and the beginnings of "automobility", with the first steam-powered cars in the 19th

century and then the invention of the internal combustion engine. The museum shows the interdependent evolution of man and his means of locomotion.

From aerodynamics to high-tech technologies with the first electric cars, the automobile is man's quest for speed and ever-faster travel. The museum also has a model of the famous "Jamais contente", the first electric car to break the 100 km/h barrier.

The tour continues on the first floor, which looks at man's relationship with the car: the motor industry, sporting competitions, advertising and road safety. The different professions linked to the car are also presented: mechanic, bodybuilder, pilot.

Finally, the ground floor is dedicated to temporary exhibitions and automotive design. This is also where the very latest technological innovations and current trends are on display. For enthusiasts, it's worth noting that the museum has a fine collection of old and new electric cars.

Mauto is a little way from the city centre, so depending on your budget and appetite, you have two options. Either continue with the same theme and head for Lingotto, the former Fiat factory just a 10-minute walk away. Here you'll find a number of restaurants, including Le Torpedo, the hotel restaurant located in the Lingotto. Or the more chic La Pista, which serves inventive Mediterranean cuisine and overlooks the rooftop.

If you prefer to eat in or take away, you'll find Chicco Dorato just an 8-minute walk away. This bakery-café offers snacks to eat in or take away 📍 Via Genova, 98/a, Turin.

There's no shortage of hotels and apartments in the Lingotto district. However, in keeping with the theme of the Mauto, did you know that there is a hotel in the former Fiat factory? Located 8 minutes' walk from the Mauto, the NH Torino Lingotto Congress offers rooms for 160 euros a night for two, including breakfast.