Torre Littoria, High-rise building in central Turin, Italy.
Torre Littoria, now Grattacielo Reale Mutua, stands on via Giovanni Battista Viotti near piazza Castello. It occupies just over two-thirds of the Sant'Emanuele block: a nine-storey section runs along the street, topped by a 19-storey tower reaching 87 metres, or 109 with its antenna. The facade mixes clinker brick, glass brick and linoleum, and the welded steel frame was among Italy's first.
Torre Littoria was built between 1932 and 1934 to designs by architect Armando Melis de Villa with engineer Giovanni Bernocco, on the Sant'Emanuele block for the Reale Mutua insurance company, which financed almost all of the cost and still owns it. In 1933 the Fascist Party secretary Andrea Gastaldi wanted a torre littoria for Turin; the Podestà asked Reale Mutua to adapt the tower under construction, and it was celebrated as an example of modernity. It was the tallest residential building in Europe until 1952.
Local residents call this tower by affectionate nicknames that reflect its bold shape and prominent position in the city. These informal names show how the building has become part of Turin's everyday conversation and local identity.
The tower stands on Via Giovanni Battista Viotti, a short walk from Piazza Castello and Piazza San Carlo, so it is seen on foot while crossing the historic centre. It is a private building owned by Reale Mutua Assicurazioni, with no public interior visit; the welded steel frame, glass brick and clinker cladding are read from street level, together with the company sign on the roof.
The steel frame was made by the Turin branch of the Officine Nazionali Savigliano (SNOS) in corso Mortara, the same firm behind the frame of Reale Mutua's earlier headquarters in via Corte d'Appello 11. That first building, also by the Melis–Bernocco studio, preceded the tower as Italy's second civil building with a welded metal frame.
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