Superga Basilica

Ordered by King Victor Emmanuel II, in 1704, as a tribute to the Virgin Mary, following the defeat of the besieging French, the Basilica was built according to a plan of Filippo Juvarra. It stands on one of the hills overlooking Turin, with an octagonal plan, with pilasters adorned by Corinthian columns and three flights of steps leading to the entrance. The elegant bell towers rise at the sides of the portico. On the inside you can admire the paintings of the side chapels, by Ricci and Beaumont, and the marble altar-pieces by Cametti and Cornacchini. On the left of the Basilica entrance is the entrance to the tombs of the kings and princes of the kingdom of Sardinia, while behind the church is the monastery, the old residence of the Congregation of regular priests, built by order of Victor Amadeus. The rear part of the construction was the scene of one of Italy's worst post-war tragedies, when on 4 May 1949, a plane carrying the great Torino football team from Lisbon crashed there. A memorial stone was dedicated to those who died, whereas the wall against which the plane crashed has never been rebuilt.