Mole Antonelliana - Turin - TravBuddy

Dominating the Turin skyline is the peculiar looking spire of the Mole Antonelliana. This building is the Turin equivalent of the Eiffel Tower in Paris: an unmissably tall landmark that serves no clear purpose except perhaps to act as a signature for the city. It looks like a glorified lightning conductor - in fact in 1954 an electrical storm struck down the top 47m (155ft), which was later replaced. The 167m (550ft) Mole, by Alessandro Antonelli was first intended to be a Jewish synagogue, but after it's original commissioners pulled out, the city stepped in and completed it in 1897 and used it to house the Risorgimento museum. The Mole ("massive structure") - for a time the world's tallest building - became a symbol of Italian unity and today houses the National Musuem of Cinema.

Although the collection of Film memorabilia is very impressive, the highlight of a trip to the Mole has to be the cable-hung glass elevator ride which takes you right up to the top of the observation deck (I wouldn't reccomend this to anyone with even a slight fear of heights!). There is a small fee of around €7/8 and a queue is to be expected.