Alessandro Antonelli designed the Mole in 1862 as a synagogue for Turin’s Jewish community. As the design became increasingly monumental, the city took over the project; construction was completed in 1889 under Antonelli’s son Costanzo. The building conceived for a religious congregation became a civic landmark and, since 2000, the home of the National Museum of Cinema.
The permanent exhibition rises through the building in a spiral, moving from the optical devices that preceded cinema to the crafts and technologies behind a film. Posters, photographs, sets, objects and moving images connect the physical work of filmmaking with what appears on screen. The exhibition design by François Confino makes the Mole’s height part of the experience.
The Temple Hall opens beneath the dome, with the Helical Ramp rising beside the central void and further exhibition areas above. The separate panoramic lift travels to the terrace at 85 metres, overlooking Turin and, in clear conditions, the Alps. The museum, lift and on-foot Cupola Ascent have distinct access and ticket arrangements: choose the visit you want before booking.
A commission that changed scale
The original brief was a synagogue for Turin’s Jewish community. Alessandro Antonelli’s design, dated 1862, grew into a more monumental project; the city later took over the construction site and completed the building in 1889.1,2
The building rises about 167 metres, ending in the spire that defines its skyline profile. In 1953 a storm brought down part of the spire. Structural reinforcement and restoration became part of the Mole’s twentieth-century history, alongside its changing public use.1,2
Cinema as a collection
The permanent exhibition brings together posters, photographs, objects, sets, devices and film material. The mix moves between the physical tools of image-making and the images those tools made possible.3
The museum’s history is closely tied to the historian and collector Maria Adriana Prolo. François Confino designed the exhibition, giving the collection a rising, scenographic route through the Mole.3
Reading the upward route
The Archaeology of Cinema explores optical illusions and the devices that preceded cinema. Above it, the Temple Hall opens beneath the dome: the central space brings the scale of Antonelli’s building into the museum route.1
The Helical Ramp rises around the central void, while the Cinema Machine follows filmmaking through production, direction, writing, acting, costumes, sets and the cinema. Higher up, the Poster Gallery uses the museum’s collection to trace changing film graphics and advertising.1
Choose your ascent
The panoramic lift and Cupola Ascent offer different ways to reach the upper part of the Mole. The lift is a separate ride to the 85-metre terrace; the Cupola Ascent follows the inner staircase on foot as a guided or supervised visit.1,2,4,5
Staff-assisted lifts reach the exhibition areas, while the Helical Ramp itself remains an inclined walking or wheelchair route. The Panoramic Lift has a one-wheelchair-at-a-time limit; the on-foot Cupola route has separate restrictions. Check the current calendar, access notes and ticket inventory before choosing.1,4,5,6,7
