Rifugio antiaereo, Air-raid shelter in Piazza Risorgimento, Turin, Italy.

Rifugio antiaereo is an underground shelter beneath Piazza Risorgimento made of reinforced concrete tunnels with thick walls designed to protect against bombing. The structure preserves the original construction as it was used to provide refuge during wartime.

Built in 1943, this was the first of 42 public shelters the city erected with bomb-resistant reinforced concrete, its walls 80 cm thick. It was designed against the larger American bombs that also targeted residential districts. After the war it lay forgotten for about fifty years until surveys in the 1990s confirmed witnesses' accounts.

Inside, you can see photographs and objects from the war years that show how people in Turin experienced life during the bombing raids. These displays help visitors understand what daily life was like for residents during that time.

Visitors explore the original tunnels through guided tours that include video explanations of the defensive design and features. Wear comfortable walking shoes since the underground passages have uneven surfaces and narrow sections.

The shelter's three parallel galleries, each about 40 metres long, were reached by two staggered staircases bent at 90 degrees so people could still get inside if debris blocked the entrances. Its rated capacity was 1,150 people, but during alarms it was often doubled.