Mole Antonelliana and the National Museum of Cinema

From synagogue to city symbol

The Mole Antonelliana is the building everyone recognises on Turin’s skyline. Designed by Alessandro Antonelli, it was begun in 1863 as a synagogue for the Jewish community, which gave up on the project as the architect kept raising it far beyond the original plan. The city bought it in 1877 and completed it in 1889: at 167.5 metres it was for a long time one of the tallest masonry buildings in the world. The spire, brought down by a storm in 1953, was rebuilt around an internal metal frame. The Mole even appears on the Italian 2-cent coin.

Since 2000 it has housed the National Museum of Cinema, built on the collection of Maria Adriana Prolo and now one of the richest of its kind anywhere: optical devices, posters, photographs, costumes and props. The displays make spectacular use of the building’s height, and even visitors with no special interest in film usually leave delighted.

What to see in the museum

The route climbs over several levels around the vast empty space of the dome. The sections not to miss:

• Archaeology of cinema: magic lanterns, shadow theatres, peep boxes and the devices that came before the Lumière brothers, many of which you can try.
• The Temple Hall: the heart of the museum, beneath the dome, with lounge chairs for watching the projections and side rooms devoted to genres, from horror to science fiction and animation.
• The machinery of cinema: how a film is made, from script to set to editing, with original material.
• The spiral ramp: a long ramp winding up the walls of the dome, lined with posters and offering dizzying views down into the Hall.
• Temporary exhibitions, often devoted to directors and actors, usually included in the ticket.

The panoramic lift and the dome climb

The panoramic lift is a glass cabin hung on cables that rises through the Temple Hall with no walls around it and in about a minute reaches the viewing terrace, 85 metres up. From there the view takes in the rooftops of the centre, the Po, the hill of Superga and, on clear days, the arc of the Alps with Monviso. It is a separate entry from the museum, with its own time slots: at weekends and on long weekends the slots go quickly, so booking is wise. In strong wind or during maintenance the lift can be suspended at short notice.

For something different there is the dome climb on foot, along stairs and walkways between the inner and outer shells of the dome, with accompanied visits on set days and times. It is not suitable for anyone with vertigo, claustrophobia, or heart or mobility problems, and children under 6 are not allowed.

Official opening hours and prices

The museum is usually open every day except Tuesday, from 9am to 7pm; the ticket desk and last entry close an hour earlier, and the last lift down leaves a few minutes before closing. Hours can change for public holidays and events, so check the calendar on the museum’s website before you go.

The official website sells three options: museum only, lift only, and museum + lift. Prices vary with the exhibitions on show: as a rough guide, the museum costs about €16–18, the lift about €9 and the combined ticket about €20–23. There are reductions for young people up to 26; entry is free for children under 6 and for disabled visitors with one companion. Holders of the Abbonamento Musei or the Torino+Piemonte Card enter the museum free but still need to book their time slot.

Which ticket to choose

For most visitors the simplest choice is the official museum + lift ticket, booked online with a time for the lift. The alternatives on this page, all bookable on Tiqets, suit different needs:

• Mole Antonelliana & Cinema Museum with a guide, from €98.50: a small-group visit with a guide who tells the story of cinema room by room, plus the lift to the terrace. It costs far more than a plain ticket and makes sense if you want a live guide rather than an audio guide.
• Cinema Museum + hop-on hop-off bus, from €48: museum entry, without the lift, and the City Sightseeing bus for 24 or 48 hours. Worth it only if you will really use the bus, for example for a first-day loop of the city or to reach the Palace of Venaria; for the Mole alone, the centre is easy to explore on foot.
• Torino+Piemonte Card, from €29.90: free museum entry and a reduced lift fare, plus the Royal Museums, Palazzo Madama and many others. It comes in multi-day versions and does not include GTT transport: worth it if you visit at least three museums in a few days.

Whichever option you pick, check whether it includes the lift. Full details of the bus are on our hop-on hop-off page.

Getting there and what to combine it with

The Mole stands at Via Montebello 20, in the heart of the historic centre between Via Po and Via Verdi. From Piazza Castello it is under ten minutes on foot under the arcades of Via Po; from Porta Nuova station allow about twenty minutes. The metro does not pass nearby, but several GTT bus and tram lines run along Via Po: current routes and timetables are on the GTT website. The centre is a restricted-access zone with no dedicated car park, so leave the car in a multi-storey car park and walk.

The Mole pairs well with a stroll down Via Po to Piazza Vittorio Veneto and the river, or with Palazzo Madama and the Royal Museums on Piazza Castello. Avoid putting it in the same morning as the Egyptian Museum: both are long visits and you risk reaching the lift exhausted. For getting around the city, see our guide to getting around Turin.

Accessibility, families and practical tips

The museum has ramps and lifts, and the panoramic lift is accessible too. Wheelchairs are available free on request, there is a free audio guide via QR code, and the museum offers sensory kits for autistic and neurodivergent visitors. Pushchairs use the dedicated lifts; large bags and backpacks must be left in the cloakroom at the entrance.

It is one of the best visits in Turin for families: children love the optical machines and special effects, and the museum runs workshops and family tours. For the lift, pick a clear day: the light at sunset is superb, but that is also the most sought-after slot. On a rainy day the museum is still a great idea, though from the terrace the view stops at the nearby rooftops.