How to visit the Egyptian Museum of Turin with little time to spare

Would you like to know how to visit the Egyptian Museum of Turin with little time to spare? The splendid exhibition gallery, admired and seen annually by about one million visitors, has a vast collection consisting of about 40000 archaeological artefacts of enormous value, dating from the Palaeolithic to the Coptic period, of which 3300 can be visited in the exhibition halls, while 12000 are in the showcases of the material culture section.

It is the temple of the culture of the glorious civilization of the pharaohs, offering us the opportunity to appreciate the aesthetic perfection of their artistic masterpieces and to learn about their religion, their writing, and their conception of the universe. Visiting the Egyptian Museum of Turin will allow you to contemplate the evocative settings embellished by spectacular plays of light designed to enhance the magnificence of the treasures preserved in them and to establish a more involving and intimate connection with the visitors.

The institution that preserves the collection of works and artefacts, the fruit of the ingenuity and wisdom of this people with a tradition spanning thousands of years, is housed in the building of the Academy of Sciences. The building was constructed according to the Baroque style's stylistic dictates and architectural principles between 1679 and 1687 based on the design by architects Guarino Guarini and Michelangelo Garove. At an early stage, it functioned as a boarding school for the education of members of the Piedmontese aristocracy by the provisions of Victor Emmanuel III of Savoy.

The initial creative concept envisaged underground tunnels to facilitate travel to the elegant drawing room in Piazza Castello and a plan based on a horseshoe structure. During the second half of the 19th century, the building changed its use, and the first museum exhibitions dedicated to Egyptian discoveries, ancient texts, and material culture exhibitions began. The Royal Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Turin also preserved finds from prehistoric, Roman, and pre-Roman times and an area focused on natural history. After redevelopment, the Gallery of the Kings moved to its current location.

If you are thinking of visiting the Egyptian Museum of Turin during a possible itinerary through the enchanting Piedmontese landscapes, follow the precious advice and tips offered by Visit Italy to make the most of the tour to discover the history, art, and culture of the ancient Egyptians and to savour all the details of an extraordinary experience that will allow you to come into contact with a heritage of ancient knowledge, which has reached us from the distant past. Let's embark on this adventurous journey among the gems of antiquity to visit the Egyptian Museum of Turin.

Visiting the Egyptian Museum of Turin will give you a taste of the splendour, majesty, and solemn atmosphere of a flourishing empire. As you approach this famous museum, the charm emanating from this prestigious institution will captivate you with its majesty. The exhibition sections are laid out along a linear route of 2.5 kilometers, spanning five floors, each pledged to a specific thematic path. Starting to visit this marvellous museum from the basement, you can retrace the different historical phases of the museum foundation. You will also admire the splendid papyrus of the Book of Luefankh, written in Ptolemaic times and consisting of 165 chapters, which preserve a collection of religious formulas: it dates from between 332 and 320 BC. Continuing the exploration in chronological order, we recommend you go to the second floor, where numerous artefacts are preserved, including stelae decorated with wonderful hieroglyphics and various types of refined sarcophagi. The most peculiar finds in this area are the mummy and the painted linen cloth of Gebelein, which dates back to the Predynastic period and illustrates moments of daily life. 

Our exploration leads us to the first floor, dedicated to the Late Antique era, the Roman period, and the findings from Deir el-Medina. You will be astounded by the multitude of polychrome and symbol-decorated sarcophagi preserved in the Gallery, the finds from the necropolis of Deir El Medina, such as those from Tabakenkhonsu, Gemenefherbak, and Butehamon, and the works from the Valley of the Queens. You can also contemplate the Chapel of Tammit and Maia, painted representations and the statue of Nefertari and Pendua, the burial complex of Kha and Merit, the Pyramidion of Ramose, and the ceramic Ostrakon of the Dancer. The splendour of the Gallery of the Kings, located on the ground floor, will captivate you with its alluring and mysterious aura, accentuated by the play of light highlighting marvellous masterpieces of statuary depicting pharaohs and sphinxes, including those of Tutankhamun, the descendant of Nefertiti and Ramses II, can also be admired in the Nubian Hall of the temple of Ellesiia, erected by Tuthmosi III, the lion statue of the goddess Sekhmet, Tutankhamon, Thutmosi III, Horemheb, Sethi II, Amun, and the Sphinx.

New rooms focusing on the art of pottery and animal embalming techniques have been added to the exciting museum tour on the first floor, which you will find near the Late Period room. Other attractions not to be missed when you visit the Egyptian Museum of Turin are the monuments made in honour of Neferu and Iti and the burial complex of the Unknowns, consisting of a corridor from which three chambers containing mummies and sarcophagi branch off, the artefacts and objects in the Material Culture Gallery and the limestone statue of Uahka. Other exhibits include the cup of the goddess Hathor, the papyrus of the Golden Mines from Berenice Pancrisia, the papyrus of the Kings, the statue of the goddess Isis and the reliefs of Djoser and the Royal Canon.