Identity: districts, language, patron saint
Turin is divided into eight circoscrizioni and is the capital of the Metropolitan City. Italian is spoken; Piedmontese survives as a family language. The patron saint is John the Baptist, a city holiday on 24 June.
Sections: Geography · History · Population · Languages · Time zone · Public holidays
Administrative structure
The municipality is organised into eight circoscrizioni (decentralised districts), each with an elected council and a president: from Circoscrizione 1 (Centro and Crocetta) to 8 (San Salvario, Cavoretto, Borgo Po, Nizza Millefonti, Lingotto, Filadelfia). The circoscrizioni run neighbourhood services (local registry offices, branch libraries, sports facilities, parks) and are the first counter for many procedures.
Turin is also the capital of the Città metropolitana di Torino, the body that replaced the Province in 2015 and covers a very large territory, from the Po hills to the Alpine valleys on the French border.
Language and identity
The everyday language is Italian. Piedmontese, a Romance language recognised by the Region as cultural heritage, is still heard in markets and among older generations, rarely in offices or among young people. The historic immigration from southern Italy (1950s and 1960s, linked to Fiat) and, since the 1990s, from abroad makes the city linguistically mixed: Porta Palazzo and Barriera di Milano are the most diverse districts.
The patron saint is John the Baptist: 24 June is a holiday in the municipality (public offices closed), with the bonfire in Piazza Castello on the eve and fireworks over the Po.
- Institutions and symbols: Palazzo Civico (city hall, Piazza Palazzo di Città), Palazzo Reale and Palazzo Madama (former Savoy residences, now museums), the Mole Antonelliana (National Cinema Museum).
- Capital of Italy from 1861 to 1865; first seat of the Italian Parliament at Palazzo Carignano.
- Two Serie A football clubs (Juventus and Torino) and an industrial tradition that made it the twentieth-century factory town.
- Press and culture: historic home of the newspaper La Stampa, the publisher Einaudi and the International Book Fair.
Data
Sources
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Reviewed: 10/23/2026 · by piero.avolio · rev. 1 · Period: → 2027-10-31
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