In 1923, Fiat opened the most futuristic car factory in the world: a reinforced concrete building where raw materials entered at ground level, rose through five floors of assembly, and finished cars emerged on a rooftop test track — a 1km banked oval on the roof of the building, 28 meters above the street. Le Corbusier called it "one of the most impressive sights in industry." When production moved in the 1980s, Renzo Piano transformed Lingotto into a mixed-use complex: shopping mall, conference center, hotel (the Meridien), and the Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli — a "treasure chest" suspended above the rooftop test track containing Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani, Canova, and Tiepolo from the Agnelli family's private collection. Turin guide →
Plan my Turin trip →The rooftop test track: Still there. You can walk (or run — Torinesi jog here) on the banked concrete oval where Fiat 500s, 124s, and Lancias were tested for 60 years. The views of the Alps from the track are spectacular. Access: free, via the shopping mall elevators. Pinacoteca Agnelli (Renzo Piano, 2002): A glass-and-steel "scrigno" (jewel box) perched above the test track. 25 works: Matisse's reclining nude, Canova's Dancer, Picasso, Renoir, Modigliani's Nudo Sdraiato, Tiepolo. Small, focused, perfect. €10. Eataly: The original Eataly flagship (opened 2007, before the NYC and Tokyo locations) occupies part of the ground floor — a food hall and restaurant complex dedicated to artisanal Italian food. Eat here.
Address: Via Nizza 230, Turin (Metro M1: Lingotto, 5min walk). Pinacoteca Agnelli: €10. Wed-Mon 10am-7pm. Closed Tuesdays. Rooftop track: free, during mall hours. Eataly: daily 10am-10:30pm (restaurants until 11pm). Duration: 1h art gallery, 30min track, 1h+ Eataly. Combine with: Turin centro (metro, 10min), Museo Egizio, Museo del Cinema.