Ivrea
Ivrea is a town of 25,000 in the province of Turin in Piedmont, Italy. In the middle of the 20th century, many factories and residential buildings designed by leading Italian urban planners and architects were constructed in Ivrea. Particularly notable is the Olivetti plant, headquarters and surrounding buildings which are a world heritage site.
Get in
Nearest airport is Turin, approx 45 minutes by car. Trains and buses run regularly from Turin, and other surrounding towns.
By car
- From Turin: A5 Turin-Aosta motorway, Ivrea exit
- From Milan: A4 Milan-Turin motorway, A4-A5 Santhià-Ivrea junction, A5 towards Aosta, Ivrea exit
- From Aosta: A5 Aosta-Turin motorway, Ivrea exit
- From Genoa: A26 Genova-Gravellona motorway, A26 towards Alessandria-Santhià, A4-A5 Santhià-Ivrea junction, A5 towards Aosta, Ivrea exit
By train
- 🌍 Ivrea railway station (Stazione di Ivrea), Corso Nigra, 73.
Get around
By foot
See
Ivrea is situated at the foot of the Alps, and this area is scattered with small lakes which are used for swimming in the summer. The main pedestrian centre contains some wonderful shops and bars for people-watching.
The medieval castle and the cathedral, both on top of the hill in the centre of the town, are very beautiful and worthwhile.
- 🌍 Roman Amphitheatre (Anfiteatro romano).
- 🌍 Ivrea Castle (Castello d'Ivrea). Built in 1358, the castle was converted to a prison during the 18th century but restored in 1970.
- 🌍 Parella Castle (Castello di Parella), Via Carandini 40, 10010 Parella (TO), ☏ +39 0125 422846, fax: +39 0125 422877. It was built in the 13th century and has 17th-century alterations. It is not opento visitors, but is used for private functions.
Religious architecture
Buildings
- 🌍 Credenza.
Museum
- 🌍 Museo all'aperto di architettura moderna (MAAM), maam@comune.ivrea.to.it.
- Museo Civico P.A. Garda.
Do
Join in the Orange Festival at carnival time (February). An amazing experience where teams of locals compete over several days for possession of the various town squares by throwing oranges from horse-drawn carts. Spectators should wear something orange to show their solidarity with the festival or they risk coming under orange-attack!
Buy
Take a walk in Via Palestro and Via Arduino, the main shopping streets, linked together.
Eat
Torta 900 - a very sweet chocolate cake whose recipe has been a closely guarded secret for over a century. The authentic Torta 900 can only be bought from the Balla cake shop.
- Pasticceria Balla, Corso Re Umberto, 16, ☏ +39 0125 641327.
Sleep
- 🌍 Sina Villa Matilde, Via Marconi 29, Romano Canavese (5 km south of Ivrea), ☏ +39 0125 639290. Grand 4-star in wooded grounds in the small village of Romano Canavese.