Turin was the first capital of the unified Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
The Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed on 17 March 1861 after the unification movement brought most Italian states under King Victor Emmanuel II. Turin, the capital of the former Kingdom of Sardinia and the House of Savoy, became the new kingdom’s first capital.
The capital moved to Florence in 1865 as part of an agreement with France connected to the withdrawal of French troops from Rome. Rome was captured by Italian forces in 1870 and became the capital in 1871, completing the political consolidation of the kingdom.
Rome is therefore the modern capital and the city most associated with Italy, but it was not the first capital after unification. Turin also played a major role in the Risorgimento and was the home of prominent unification figures, including Count Camillo di Cavour. The Mole Antonelliana is one of Turin’s best-known landmarks.