Italian Job Tour 04
Via Roma and Piazza San Carlo
The Arcade, the Traffic Jam and the Getaway
Location C
Once you are back in Piazza Castello, with the castle in front of you, turn right across the pedestrian crossing into Via Roma. Stay on the right-hand side and walk down through the beautiful covered colonnades.
Scenes filmed here
- The old man cleaning the floor, Galleria San Federico 45.068776, 7.683014
- The big traffic jam in Piazza San Carlo 45.067795, 7.682600
- The getaway — the Minis and the Dormobile, Palazzo Lascaris 45.068241, 7.678901
8. The old man washing the floor
You will cross Via della Pietà and Via Bertola. Just after this you will see an entranceway with huge stone columns leading into an arcade — Galleria San Federico. Turn right into it.
Facing you is the Cinema Lux. In front of the cinema steps there is a cross pattern set into the marble pavement. This is where the old man washed the floor as the three Minis came through, hotly pursued by a police motorcyclist.
9. The traffic jam
Come back out of the arcade, turn right past the cinema steps, and cross into Piazza San Carlo — a very impressive square and the setting for the traffic jam.
The film crew closed off all but one of the access and exit roads to the piazza to create the chaos. The convoy entered through the twin churches and, curiously, left the same way, which is not at all obvious on screen unless you know the city.
10. The getaway
Walk to the end of the piazza and turn right into Via Alfieri. Walk for about five minutes, crossing Via XX Settembre and Via Arsenale. On your left is Palazzo Lascaris. Go in through the tall wooden doors to see the beautiful courtyard behind its iron gates.
It was here that, after loading the gold into the Minis, the rest of the crew piled into the white Dormobile. The van was parked just to the right by the iron gate, and the Minis sped through and skidded around the small fountain in the centre of the courtyard.
You can usually get into the courtyard: go in through the door on the right and ask for solo cortile. The building is the seat of the Piedmont regional council and is heavily guarded, so be careful about taking photographs and ask first.
Before you leave, take a good look at those wooden doors. This is where, once the Dormobile had gone, the two football fans swung them shut. Nothing has changed — the same hinges, the same locks.
Now go back the way you came, along Via Alfieri, to the top of the piazza.