Turin’s Egyptian Museum, Italy

Turin's Egyptian Museum, ItalyI was recently back in Turin to visit a friend of mine who was in Italy for a short visit. I hadn’t been back to Piedmont’s capital in years, not since I lived “in the neighborhood” of  (relatively) nearby Milan.

Being back was a pleasant surprise, since the city has changed quite a bit from how I remember it years ago – one of the best things about it is how much of the center has been turned into a pedestrian zone.

One of the things I managed to do on this visit, and that I’ve felt terribly guilty about not having done until this point, was to visit the spectacular Museo egizio (Museum of Ancient Egypt).

My visit made me determined to return in order to dedicate more time to this amazing museum – and next time to come accompanied by my kids.

Next time, I’ll have to dedicate far more time to this impressive collection, since on this visit I was squeezing this visit in before a pre-scheduled appointment.

For those of you who don’t know the museum, it is said to be the third most impressive Egyptian collection in the world – following those of Cairo’s Museum and the British Museum.

Turin owes this enviable collection to the efforts of the Savoy royal family, when they began financing voyages to Egypt to purchase treasures from the past in 1753.

These collections were augmented in 1824 and, most famously, with excavations between 1900-1920 by the Italian Egyptologist, Ernesto Schiaparelli.

Today’s museum houses more than 30,000 artifacts, with English and Italian descriptions accompanying them, and headsets in various languages included in the price of your ticket.

This is a not-to-be missed museum on your next visit to Turin, and it is easy to reach on your visit, since it is located just on the edge of the central Piazza San Carlo.

On my short visit, I only scratched the surface of this impressive collection. It may have taken me far too long to get here for the first time, but I will most certainly be back. When in Turin, don’t miss the chance to travel back in time to Ancient Egypt by visiting this spectacular collection.

In the coming weeks, I’ll write some more tips about what to visit in this elegant Italian city.

Ancient Egyptian Museum, Turin

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