In June of 1706, during the War of Spanish Succession, the city of Turin was besieged by the allied army of France and Spain. The conflict lasted through the summer, but on September 7, the conflict ended, as Austrian troops under the command of Prince Eugene of Savoy repelled the Franco-Spanish aggressors and reclaimed the citadel for Savoy. As a tribute to the victory, Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy, commissioned the famed architect Juvarra to design the monumental Baroque-Classical church - the Basilica de Superga.
The Basilica was completed in 1731, and in it you will find the tombs of the Royal House of Savoy. Its Baroque design references St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, where Juvarra studied for ten years. You'll marvel at the sheer scale - Amadeus II desired a monument that would remind all of Savoyard power, and as such, the church is fairly conspicuous, built upon a hill from which one can see the Alps on a clear day.
Getting to the Basilica de Superga is easy; you can reach it either by foot or by jumping on the Superga Rack Railway, which starts in the suburb of Sassi and continues through Turin up to Superga Hill.
