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More information ?
If you would like more information please call me on:-
0039 0141 851 154
or send me an email,
If you would like us to
keep in touch, please fill in and
send us the form on the Registration page.
We look forward to hearing from you.
© Kerrie Barker 2007
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The iconic 'Mole' soars above Turin's
skyline.
Construction commenced in 1863 after the
Jewish community decided to build a synagogue. The original architect was
Antonelli - hence the full name of the building.
For Antonelli, size mattered. What began as a
47 metre high building was transformed into a 133 metre high building.
Perhaps not surprisingly, construction work was halted when the Jews blocked
further funding - due to escalating costs.
Undeterred, Antonelli convinced the Turin
City authorities to take over the building by dedicating it to the King of
Italy - and in order to do justice to him, the size increased again to 167
metres !
The final increment in height was acheived by
placing a 'winged genius' on top of the spire, and this was finally put in
place in 1899. Turin now proudly possessed the tallest brick building in the
world.
Unfortunately, the 'winged genius' lasted
only until 1904, when it was removed by a cloudburst. It was replaced with a
star. This served for longer, but in 1953 another cloudburst caused the
collapse of a 47 metre section of the spire. Turin no longer possessed the
world's tallest brick building.
Completion of the reconstruction was acheived
in 1967, when the Mole re-attained its original height of 167 metres, but
this was only possible by using a stone-clad metal framework. This was
followed by internal re-furbishment. The Mole now hosts the Italian Museum
of the Cinema and is used as a venue for cultural events.
A glass-sided panoramic lift ascends through
the centre of the building to the viewing platform above the dome. The view
from the platform is magnificent, but the lift ride, particularly when the
dome walls close in all around you, is definitely not for the vertiginous or
the claustrophobic !
E mail:
kerrie@anitalianadventure.co.uk
0039 0141 851 154
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