The Botanical Garden has been created in 1729 by King Vittorio Amedeo II, next to the Valentino's Castle. Since then, it functions as important source of studying and researching for the Turinese University. In 1830-40 "Il Boschetto" has been added, in order to include various species of esotic plants.

The Main Entrance of the Fair was situated at the corner between the avenues Vittorio Emanuele II and Cairoli, at the beginning of Ponte Umberto. The main rectangular body of the Entrance was composed by a white colonnade, surmounted by new baroque's arches and two pinnacles. As showed by the presence of two eagles (the Turinese Royal symbol) on the top of the pinnacles, this Entrance was a specific tribute to the Royal Family of Turin, the Savoy. Like most of the structures of the Fair, it was realized specifically for this occasion and demolished after the end of the event.

Dispay of the forestry exhibits

The Palazzo della Citta' Moderna was a small building connected to the imposing Pavilion of Arts Applied to Industry on the left bank of the river Po. It covered an area of approximately 2,000 square meters, and featured a series of allegorical statues on its facade. According to the CTI guide and the "Giornale illustrato," this Exhibit attracted the attention of visitors interested in social dynamics and urban issues. The rooms dedicated to this exhibit featured a chronological journey from ancient agglomerations to modern metropolises. The thematic displays included "education," "public services," "public health," "urban renovation," among others.

At the beginning of 20th century, Italy, and in particular the Northern area (where the biggest textile industries were located), felt the need to define its own national fashion style. Turin 1911, and specifically the Pavilion of Fashion, was the space where Italy developed its own narrative about "moda", or fashion. The arrangement of the exhibition was curated by Giorgio Ceragioli, Giovanni Giani, and Oreste Pizzo who displayed, in lavish settings, hundreds of mannequins dressed by the most important Italian Fashion Houses.

The main hall featured Ceragioli's dioramas, huge painted canvasses illuminated by changing displays of light and shadow. The dioramas entitled "Paper-hunt," "Patinoire" and "Sulla spiaggia" reproduced the "toilettes" that young men and women wore in these leisure activities.

Architecturally speaking, the Palace of Fashion was one of the most charming pavilions, even in the planned modesty of its proportions. It was situated on the left bank of the river Po, at the very beginning of the Fair's itinerary, thus highlighting the importance that the fashion industry was beginning to have in Italy at that time.

The pavilion combined Art Nouveau elements with the echoes of the Turinese Baroque. The exterior featured large windows and columns, and was enriched by Art Deco motifs, such as flowers and leaves. The two foreparts, that were on the corners of the Palace and that ended with golden domes, were well balanced with the central structure that displayed large circular windows.

The major exhibits in the Pavilion were featured in a free guide that was distribuited to all fairgoers.

The Pavilion of Arts Applied is the first of the largest and most impressive structures that the visitors encountered upon entering the exposition from the Main Entrance at Umberto I Bridge. It was designed by the architects Lorini & Co., and it occupied an ample area on the left bank of the river Po. The Pavilion included several exhibitions. Besides the exhibits of Arts Applied to Industry, the pavilion included China, Japan, and Persia. The main entrance of the building was lavish and echoed the curves and vivacity of the Baroque style. It displayed a large staircase leading to the "pronao" (colonnaded entrance), from which the visitor could access the inner galleries. The facade, crowned by the great dome of the central hall, was grandiose and included several statues by sculptors Ravanelli and Sassi. The dome, which seemed to be inspired by the dome of Saint Peter in Rome, ended on a pinnacle with a Winged Victory, which was 45 meters high from the ground.

According to the CTI guide, the Pavilion of Festivals and Concerts was one of the largest buildings of the Fair. It was connected to the Pavilion of Music. These buildings hosted the Electricity Hall, the Display of the Marvels of Electricity, the exhibit of Professional Teaching, and the Swiss Exhibition. The facades of these interconnected buildings were admirable for their elegant proportions and the richness of architectural detail. Among the decorations, the Guida Tricolore mentions two fountains with a statue of Neptune created by Cellini, a group of allegorical statues symbolizing music made by Michelangelo Monti, and the remarkable sculptures created by sculptors Biscarra and Bianconi. The interior featured the grand "Salone dei Concerti" (Concert Hall) built like an Olympic theater that could hold up to 9,000 people.

Hungary is so modern in aesthetic expression and so jealous of its national traditions. The pavilion is the most striking in the International exhibition: austere in its exterior, beautiful and bizarre inside, this building of noble proportions and harmonious coloring ... is reminiscent of India and Persia ... and inspired by antique Hungarian motifs. (Melani, 289)

Named “King’s Attila Tent-Palace,” the Hungarian Pavilion was unanimously considered the “Pearl of the Exposition” and praised for its ability to evoke a sense of motion in a perfectly geometric structure. The designers’ aim was to give visual expression to the power of the Hungarian military tradition, underscore its relevance to the present, and celebrate the strong and determinate nature of the Hungarian nation and its people. Made of wood, the Pavilion of Hungary combined the Romantic vision of the Tent-Palace of ancient king Attila with the Modernist inspiration of its stern cubic blocks. Harmoniously fused in the pavilion, Romantic echoes and Modernist traits are the defining elements of Hungarian functionalism. The building is a mirror of the lively social and cultural situation of the Hungarian nation, and particularly Budapest, during the first decade of the twentieth century.

The Pavilion of Hungary was located on the left bank of the river Po, next to the Main entrance on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and the Orto Botanico (botanical gardens). It was designed by Hungarian architects Emil Tőry, Móric (Maurice) Pogány, and Dénes Györgyi. An eclectic building, combining Art Nouveau elements with the features of National Romanticism, it covered 6000 square meters, and was considered "the pearl of the exposition."

Le Eposizioni di Roma e di Torino nel 1911 descritte ed illustrate (volume 4, January 1911, 31) described the building under construction as "una costruzione eminentemente caratteristica, con decorazioni cromatiche in maiolica" (a remarkably characteristic building with colorful maiolica decorations").

The Mostra Forestale Ungherese was located next to the Pavilion.


Interpretive Essays

• National Romanticism and the Hungarian Pavilion
• The Hungarian Pavilion: Exterior
• The Hungarian Pavilion: Interior

Unfortunately, there are few information regarding the exhibition of the City of Marseille. However, it was part of the big French section.

The Pavilion of the city of Turin, a building that replaced the "Padiglione del Risorgimento" of earlier fairs, provides a significant example of the sense of Nationalism of the entire event. The pavilion’s function was to celebrate Turin’s leadership in the process of Italian unification with the display of Risorgimento artifacts, documents, and memorabilia gathered from all corners of the peninsula. The building was situated at the very beginning of the Fair itinerary, and was designed by architects Pietro Fenoglio, Stefano Molli and Giacomo Salvadori di Wieshenoff. As many other pavilions, it recalled the structure of a Baroque church, with a pronao (colonnade entrance) and a great dome 47.5 meters in height. The facade displayed a series of "Victories" by sculptor Sassi and statues by Giacomo Buzzi-Reschini. According to the CTI guide, "The exhibit deserved a close examination, as it is evidence of the progress that the old capital of Piedmont achieved in half a century of thoughtfully collected and silently industrious existence."

According to the CTI guide, "the Exhibition of the Ministry of the Telegraph, Telephone, and Postal Services was interesting in many aspects, as it collected curious objects that by now have the value of relics and objects of historical importance that tell us about a by-gone age." The Pavilion was 2 storeys high and was designed by architect Calderini. It included two side halls of approximately 60 meters each, surmounted by octagonal domes. The central hall was surrounded by a two-storey gallery. One of the main features of this exhibition was the "Stazione Radiotelegrafica Marconi."

This building hosted the offices of Post and Telegraph of the Fair.

This pavilion was devoted to the history of marine warfare, and was formed by galleries adapted from a pre-existing construction, which hosted the first Gymnasium that existed on Italy, founded in 1844, under the patronage of Carlo Alberto. This Pavilion included exhibits of model warships, nautical equipment and weaponry, and of all the various things that are found on board a ship from provisions to medications. The most admired object displayed was a huge cannon weighing 56 tons.

Unfortunately, there are very few information about the main subjects and the appearance of the Temporary Exhibitions. Surely, they were held in a small boulevard of the Park, in front of the Botanical Garden.

The castle is currently hosting the Architecture Department of the Polytechnic Institute of Turin and in 1997 was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The building derives from various construction phases, which began in the mid-1500s. After a complex series of changes of owners, it was given by Duke Carlo Emanuele I to his daughter-in-law, young Cristina di Francia - who, in 1621, commissioned radical structural changes to the riverside residence, in conformity with the French "pavillon-système" (a project by Carlo di Castellamonte, from 1621 to1641). This resulted in the reconstruction of the towers on the river side, the wings, and the roofs according to the "French style". The interior features a monumental staircase and ample salons decorated with baroque stuccos and frescoes of the Flemish school.

The city of Turin is a major city - as well as a business and cultural center - located in Northwest Italy in the region called "Piemonte" (literally, "at the feet of the mountain"). Turin used to be (and it still is) a major European political center and home to the House of Savoy, Italy's Royal family. It was Italy's first capital city in 1861 until 1864, when the Rome took its role.