FIAT.

You hear Fiat, you think Turin… that is if you KNOW cars. Did you know that FIAT actually stands for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino?

 

Now you may think that an Automobile museum would be “boring” to the average person BUT.. I’m here to tell you that you’d be surprised by what you may see at the Museo dell’Automobile or MauTO as it is also known. The museum itself was first opened to the public in 1961and after 40 years of the same ol’ same ol’, it went under much needed restoration and was brought back to life. It reopened to the public in 2011.

I am not a car enthusiast I do appreciate a fine machine. Have you even gone to a car show and pretended that those really fancy cars were yours? Well, imagine a huge museum with cars as early as the 1900s from all over the world. That’s what you’ll find at MauTO.

I honestly don’t know how many photos I took but there are so many I didn’t add to this post, to save time and not completely overwhelm you.

The photo below is probably my most favorite. It encompasses everything that IS Torino. The background is Alps that surround the city, imposed on a night time landscape shot of Torino. The floor is a city street map and the classic Fiat 500 with a small replica of our beloved Mole Antonelliana.

There is one part of the museum that is interactive including this “ride”! It’s like being at Disneyland!! (ok.. so it’s not but it’s still fun)

After the visit, stop by the Atrium and have a look around the book shop and perhaps a drink in their cafeteria.

The Museum really does have a lot to offer and when I visited, my children were little. They also enjoyed all of the displays along with the videos that were being shown. I highly recommend a visit to MauTo, whether you’re alone or with guests. Make this a must see!

 

For more information, visit the museum website.

 

*these photos were taken on my first visit to MauTo in 2012.