The station of Torino Porta Nuova is a reference point for the city and its residents and, given its beauty, for film and visual productions. The station was built to make Turin, capital of the new Kingdom of Italy, effective as the economic and political centre of the county. Designed by Alessandro Mazzucchetti, the ground-breaking for its construction took place in 1861: the project combined the severe functionality of the industrial era with the monumental nature of historic Savoy buildings. Significant extension work was carried out before the Esposizione Universale in 1911, to ensure that the station reflected the image of Turin’s greatness in those years and was an appropriate arrival point for visitors from all over the world. In 1940 a large building was built on Via Nizza to improve the organization of internal services, followed by others in the 1960s and 70s, adding new elements to serve the city.
The first requalification project launched by Grandi Stazioni and completed in 2009, included significant cleaning work and restoration of the existing spaces and introduced some innovative elements: the areas for restaurants and bars, shopping, leisure and travel were increased considerably thanks to new structures. Pedestrian routes, parking areas and bays for public transport were completely overhauled to improve the quality of life in the station.
Further work on the arches, facades and facings was completed in 2016 to restore the original look of the station, while the underground carpark built on Via Sacchi has played an important part in the requalification and revitalization of the city. A third ongoing project is aimed at creating a new gourmet food area for travellers and residents, with the opening of the Terrazzo in the autumn.
