Chiesa della Gran Madre di Dio

Turin


A grand backdrop across the Po from Piazza Vittorio Veneto, this church was built in the style of a mini-Pantheon from 1818 to 1831 to commemorate the return of Vittorio Emanuele I from exile. It's small and rounded inside; some claim it's yet another secret repository for the Holy Grail.

In 1969 the church was memorably featured in the film The Italian Job when Michael Caine and his gang drove their Mini Coopers down the front staircase.