FIAT

Torino History needs its own class at the university. There is so much that has happened here! Yesterday we went one a "field trip." We went to the top/roof of the Lingotto Mall. I know it sounds interesting to go to a roof for a field trip, but this was more than just a roof! It was the first FIAT factory roof. Our program directors have told us multiple times that the "T" in FIAT stands for Torino. Anyways, FIAT out grew the factory and there was a contest to reuse the building and now it is a mall. It sounds pitifull to say that I go there to get groceries.

Here are some views from the roof:

The reason the roof is so special is that it was the tesing site for all FIAT cars. If you ever get to come here you can have your taxi driver take you up the ramps to the top. We unfortuantely walked and took elevators.

The cars were built in the building through a process that started on the ground floor and then moved up the floors as the car became more and more complete. By the time they were finished they had reached the roof and were ready to be tested. The roof looks like a mini race track with the huge slopping ends.

From up there you can see the Olympic arch and the previous Olympic village from 2006. (Told you a bunch of things happened here!)

And this is the "jewelry box" that houses original paintings from the FIAT family's private collection. This means the paintings I saw not only were originals by well known artists, but they used to hang in someone's living room. Blowing my mind! We couldn't take pictures within the museum, thus no pictures of beautiful paintings.

And this is where the FIAT executives get flown in by private helicopter, to private meetings that change the course of the company. I don't have pictures of it but FIAT's headquarters are still in a building next to the Lingotto mall.

From that roof you can see another famous icon. The mountian from Paramount Picture's logo. They added the starts and the words...

More to come soon, but I have to study for my first Italian test!