Le Nuove

The Museum of Prison "Le Nuove" is located at the former prison of Turin, called precisely Le Nuove, built between 1854 and 1869, inaugurated in 1870 under the reign of Vittorio Emanuele II and remained in operation until it was replaced in 1986 by the most modern prison "Lorusso e Cutugno" located in the Vallette district.

View of " Le Nuove " from Piano 35

The museum itinerary is divided into the various structures of the former prison.Designed by architect Giuseppe Polani, it had been conceived, according to the criteria of the time, as an individual segregated prison. It had 648 cells, thirteen branches, including those of those condemned to death, as well as two chapels, one for men and one for women. The cells also had the characteristic of having the windows "wolf-like", which allowed to see only the sky. His first director, Marinucci, allowed to use the internal church for the school lessons: the prisoners followed the lessons held by the volunteers of the Archconfraternity by the cells designed for individual participation in religious services. During the Fascist period, opponents, partisans and Jews remained there, like Ignazio Vian and Emanuele Artom, deported and sentenced to death. Notorious was the German arm, managed by the SS, where the inmates were tortured. Until the fall of fascism, no changes were made to the structure; subsequently, with the new constitutional rights, the prison was slowly made more livable, eliminating the internal walls of the courtyard and making important changes to the cells, including the expansion of the windows and the provision of radiators and water.Currently in the structure, in addition to the prison museum, there are also some judicial offices.