Mole Antonelliana

Lore & Background

The building was conceived and constructed as a synagogue. The Jewish community of Turin hired Alessandro Antonelli, who had recently added a dome and spire to the Basilica of San Gaudenzio in Novara. The relationship between Antonelli and the community was not happy; he proposed modifications raising the final height to 167.5 m, causing greater costs and construction time. Construction halted in 1869 with a provisional roof. In 1876, the Jewish community withdrew from the project, and the city of Turin took over. An exchange was arranged for a piece of land on which a Moorish Revival synagogue was quickly built. The Mole was dedicated to Victor Emmanuel II. Antonelli resumed construction, increasing the height to 167.5 m. He worked on the project until his death in October 1888. The original vision for the spire was a five-pointed star, but he later opted for a statue of an angel, or 'genio alato', a symbol of the House of Savoy. The statue was commissioned to sculptor Fumagalli months after Antonelli's death. When the star was set on 10 April 1889, it brought the total height to 167.5 m, making it the tallest brick building in Europe at the time. From 1908 to 1938, the city used the Mole to house its Museum of the Risorgimento.

In Their Own Story

The rain slicked the cobblestones of Piazza Carlo Felice as Marco pulled his black-and-white scarf tighter against the chill. Above him, the Mole Antonelliana pierced the grey sky, its lantern glowing softly in the evening dusk. He adjusted his backpack containing the season ticket and looked up one last time before turning toward the metro station. The tower stood silent, a stone sentinel watching another generation of fans head to war for their city.

Reader's Guide

The Mole Antonelliana is located in Turin, Italy. Since 2000, it has housed the Museo Nazionale del Cinema. The building features Catalan vaults in the ceiling of the ground floor under the atrium. On one side of the four-faced dome, the first Fibonacci numbers are written with red neon lights as part of the artistic work 'Il volo dei Numeri' by Mario Merz. In December 2017, the Mole was illuminated with over 6000 LED lights to mark 110 years since the establishment of Aem Torino, Iren.

Did You Know?

• The Mole Antonelliana is the tallest unreinforced brick building in the world.
• A representation of the building is featured on the obverse of the Italian 2 euro cent coin.
• The building lent its name to the Derby della Mole between Turin football clubs Torino and Juventus.
• Friedrich Nietzsche greatly admired the building, associating it with the figure Zarathustra.