With over 100,000 visitors a year, the MAO is the most visited museum of oriental art in Italy. It is situated in the 17th century Palazzo Mazzonis, in the historical centre of Turin, which was redesigned to welcome the museum. The restoration recovered the characteristic architectural and decorative features that made Palazzo Mazzonis a significant example of Baroque in Turin and, later, a small jewel of the historical revival that permeated the city in the 1900s.
The rehousing of the museum was entrusted to the architect Andrea Bruno from Turin, UNESCO’s Italian expert on restoration and conservation of artistic and cultural heritage. Key to the transformation of a private residence to museum was the redesign of the inner courtyard, which became a place of transition between East and West thanks to the present of two Japanese gardens: a wet garden with plants and water and a Zen garden with rocks and pebbles.
Film Commission Torino Piemonte
Via Cagliari 42 — 10153 Torino
Phone: +39 011 2379201
Fax: +39 011 2379298
Email: info@fctp.it
