Not many hotels have a mint condition 1967 Lancia Fulvia Coupe as centrepiece of their reception area, but then not many hotels are in converted car factories. The Lingotto NH Congress Hotel in Turin is located in one of the most iconic buildings of the C20. My visit to Turin was as much about staying in this building as visiting this much overlooked and idiosyncratic Italian city.
The Lingotto car factory was built 1916-23 and was the masterpiece of the Italian architect Giacomo Matte Trucco. The Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino, better known by its initials FIAT, had become fabulously wealthy due to its production of materials for World War I. FIAT had long been one of the pioneers of early car production and design and what better investment for all that money than this enormous purpose-designed state of the art car factory, the largest in Europe and the first designed soley for the production of cars. Its design embraced the new philosophies of Futurism and Modernism. It was designed on strictly rational principles with a limited number of components being used throughout to produce a reinforced concrete behemoth, half a kilometre long. Instantly, it became one of the most recognized buildings in Turin and its design was admired throughout Europe. Though by no means intentional, its ruthless modernity and celebration of an industrialized future sat squarely with the aspirations and beliefs of the black clad Duce who was launching his bid for power at exactly this time.
Despite its size, the building that Trucco designed has a stark beauty and functionality. Raw materials would be delivered by rail to the ground floor and construction of the cars would proceed as they moved up the building until the finished car would emerge onto the roof top test track, the piece de resistance of the design. Every car produced at the Lingotto put the first few miles on its odometer around the roof top test track. Film buffs will recognize it instantly from the 1960’s movie The Italian Job starring Michael Caine and three red white and blue Mini Coopers.
Rather remarkably, despite the innovations in car production and the opening of the huge FIAT Mirafiori plant nearby in the 1940’s, the Lingotto factory remained in production until 1979 when a Lancia Delta became the last car to roll off the production line and around the test track. The decision now had to be made as to what to do with a building so iconic and central to the culture, history and economy of Turin that the prospect of demolition was never seriously considered. Eventually, Shard architect Renzo Piano master-planned a conversion of the building to include a shopping mall, two hotels, a conference centre, art gallery and concert halls. The iconic roof top test track, of course, remains untouched.
So is it worth a visit and is it worth staying at the NH Congress Hotel? For anybody with an interest in architecture or a sense of history then the building is fascinating. The shopping mall is no different to any others and the art gallery of the Agnelli private art collection is interesting, but tiny. The most distinctive part of the building , the roof top test track, is well worth a visit, it remains largely unaltered and provides expansive views over Turin. However, do not be fooled by people saying it is openly accessible – health and safety rules put paid to that soon after completion. To access it, the easiest way is to pay the 10 euro entry to the Agnelli Art Gallery, which then allows free access to the roof. Alternatively, if you are staying at one of the hotels, ask at reception for a key, which you then need to take to a retail unit within the mall who will arrange access for the lift to take you to the roof.
The hotel is comfortable with very spacious rooms and public spaces due to the industrial scale of the building. The fit out and interior design is high quality with bespoke features, but you would be hard pushed to identify any particular Renzo Piano references. The hotel and surrounding area is easily accessed and linked to the centre of the city by the excellent and cheap Metro, the Lingotto terminus being right by the complex. Prices are reasonable for a hotel of this quality and discounted rates are often available as there are a large number of rooms to fill. We paid around £100 for a double room with breakfast. The main draw is always going to be the unique character of the building itself and if you appreciate architecture or history or contemporary culture, then you are going to find a stay here a rewarding experience.
It is just a shame they can’t find space in the reception for a red, white and blue Mini Cooper!
