To spot the Museo Egizio, look for a grand, reddish-brown building with towering stone columns and two large, black statues of Egyptian gods standing guard right by its main entrance.
Welcome to one of the most magical portals into ancient Egypt… in the heart of Turin! You’re standing before the Museo Egizio - a place packed so tightly with mummies, papyrus, gods, and mysteries that even the pharaohs would feel right at home. But trust me, you won’t need a camel to enter - just a little imagination and perhaps the courage to stare down those massive guardians at the door!
Let’s rewind the clock to 1630. Imagine a time when Turin had never seen Egyptian wonders, until the arrival of something called the Mensa Isiaca - a mysterious altar table made in the Egyptian style, probably crafted for some curious Romans longing for a bit of Nile magic right here in Italy. This treasure lit a spark in the hearts of the royals, especially King Charles Emmanuel III. He decided, “Why stop here? Let’s bring Egypt to Turin!” So off he sent his botanist, Vitaliano Donati, across the Mediterranean to Egypt. Imagine Donati stepping off his boat, the desert air swirling around him, gathering relics from places like Karnak and Coptos and bringing 300 pieces back. The birth of an extraordinary collection!
Jump ahead to 1824 - Turin’s Egyptian collection is about to explode in size! King Charles Felix acquires a massive hoard from Bernardino Drovetti, France’s general consul who got a little obsessed collecting everything from statues, to mummies, and even papyrus rolls. Some people gather stamps, Drovetti gathered an Egyptian civilization! Jean-François Champollion, the man who cracked the hieroglyphic code, came racing over, eager to dive into the pile of papyri. Rumor has it, he used Turin’s collection to unlock secrets lost for thousands of years - but also, that the most important papyrus, the legendary “Papiro dei Re,” went missing like a magician’s disappearing trick. Years later, even a parapsychologist was called in to find it! Unfortunately, the magic wasn’t strong enough, and parts of it are still missing. Maybe you’ll spot it somewhere in the museum, hiding behind a sarcophagus!
The mysteries grew as local collectors added more treasures. In 1833, Giuseppe Sossio’s 1,200 ancient Egyptian pieces joined the party. Then, the great Egyptologist Ernesto Schiaparelli started excavating in Egypt itself. His discoveries between 1900 and 1920 filled the rooms with even more jaw-dropping relics-mummies, painted fabric from over 5,000 years ago, and even the perfectly preserved tomb of Kha and Merit, moved here for you to marvel at today.
The museum’s star power didn’t stop there, though. In the 1960s, after Italy helped save ancient Nubian monuments threatened by rising waters, Egypt gave the Turin museum a full temple-the Temple of Ellesyia-as a thank you. Yes, Turin has its very own ancient Egyptian temple! And the museum itself has weathered history: during World War II, many artifacts were spirited away to a safe home in Agliè before returning triumphantly after the war.
By the 21st century, this grand building got a Hollywood-style makeover with imaginative lighting and dazzling displays. Dante Ferretti, who’s designed dreamlike movie sets, added his special touch for the 2006 Winter Olympics, turning visits into an adventure. In 2019, Museo Egizio joined an international project called Multaka. Special guides-refugees themselves-offer free tours in Arabic, creating a meeting of cultures and voices, past and present.
So, whether you want to stare into the face of a mighty pharaoh, decode the world’s oldest Books of the Dead, or just stand and imagine ancient Egypt’s sands swirling in modern Turin, you’re in the right spot. Would you like to step inside and risk a mummy curse? Don’t worry, the only real danger here is getting stuck in a long line of curious history lovers!
Seeking more information about the multaka network, collection or the gallery? Ask away in the chat section and I'll fill you in.
