Politecnico di Torino

The Regio Politecnico di Torino was established in 1906. The present-day institution was preceded by the Scuola di Applicazione per gli Ingegneri (Technical School for Engineers, which was founded in 1859 in application of the Casati law) and the Museo Industriale Italiano (Italian Industry Museum) founded in 1862 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Trade and Industry. The Technical School for Engineers was part of the University, which led to technical studies being accepted as part of higher education. In those times Italy was about to begin a new industrial era, which the Industry Museum was to address more directly thanks to famous scholars and researchers dealing with new subjects such as electrotechnics and building science. The new school was deeply concerned with the needs of the Italian society and its development perspectives.

Like other well known Polytechnic Schools in the first years of the 20th century the Regio Politecnico di Torino had several goals and began contacting the European academic world and the Italian industry. Aeronautics began as a subject. Students from all over Italy came to Turin and found in the new laboratories built for the study of various subjects ranging from chemistry to architecture in a positive and helpful atmosphere. During November 1958 a large complex of buildings located in Corso Duca degli Abruzzi was inaugurated in order to expand the volume and the facilities offered by the historical headquarters of Valentino Castle (Castello del Valentino), given in 1859 to the Technical School for Engineers.

In the 1990s, new teaching campuses were opened in Alessandria, Biella, Ivrea and Mondovì.