National Museum of Cinema

The National Museum of Cinema, located within Turin’s Mole Antonelliana, offers an immersive journey through the history of cinema. Visitors can explore interactive exhibits, including early optical devices, film technology, and virtual reality cinema. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions, film festivals, and educational programs, making it a cultural hub for film enthusiasts and tourists alike.

Planning your visit

The National Museum of Cinema is inside the Mole Antonelliana, and the building does half the work. Originally begun as a synagogue in 1863 and never used as one, the Mole is Turin's landmark — a vast brick spire rising 167 metres — and the museum spirals up through its hollow interior. The main hall has visitors reclining on angled loungers watching film projected onto screens overhead, surrounded by themed chapels devoted to genres and obsessions. Ramps wind upward past exhibits on early optical toys, magic lanterns, cameras, costumes and posters, tracing cinema from pre-film devices through to virtual reality.

The panoramic lift is the other draw: a glass elevator running straight up the centre of the void to a viewing platform with the Alps behind the city. It is ticketed separately from the museum, and the queue for it is usually longer than for the exhibits.

Bookable options include entry tickets with audio guides, combined tickets covering the museum and the panoramic lift, and guided tours of the museum and the Mole together. Some formats bundle the museum with a Turin sightseeing bus tour. Buying the museum and lift together in advance saves the second queue, which is the main practical gain. Current dates are shown below.