Turin in Autumn: Art and Theatre — Hiroshige, Harry Gruyaert and the New Festival delle Colline Torinesi

While the Langhe are getting ready for the grape harvest and the first morning mists start to soften the hills of Monferrato, an hour's drive away Turin is living its own kind of autumn: in the quiet rooms of a museum, in front of a two-hundred-year-old Japanese print, or in the dark of a theatre, waiting for the curtain to rise on something never seen before in Italy.

It's the side of this region that gets talked about less, but is no less compelling — a reminder that Piedmont isn't only wine and truffles. This autumn, three events make Turin a essential stop for anyone who loves art and contemporary performance: an exhibition dedicated to the Japanese master Hiroshige, the final days of the first Italian retrospective on Harry Gruyaert, and a new edition of the Festival delle Colline Torinesi, led for the first time by two women.

If you're already planning a stay between the Langhe and the city, this is the moment to add a day of art to your itinerary. And if you'd like an expert guide to show you the historic centre or the museums from a different angle, GetYourGuide has a range of tours and experiences in Turin, many bookable at short notice.

Hiroshige at the MAO: a 490 km journey in 36 prints

At the MAO — Museum of Oriental Art, via San Domenico 11, the exhibition "Dreamscapes" tells the story of one of the great masterpieces of 19th-century Japanese art: Utagawa Hiroshige's series The 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō, the 490-kilometre road that once connected Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Kyoto.

The 36 prints on display belong to the UniCredit collection and were chosen to capture the almost cinematic quality of that journey: post stations, wayside inns, travellers, mountains and coastlines unfolding one after another. Alongside the prints, the exhibition also includes two pairs of recently restored Japanese folding screens, offering a striking contrast between the aristocratic and the popular art of Edo-period Japan.

Curated by Laura Vigo with Claudia Ramasso, and developed in collaboration with the Musei Reali di Torino, the show runs until 29 November 2026 — plenty of time to plan an unhurried visit, perhaps combined with a walk through the nearby Borgo Medievale on the other side of the Po river.

• Where: MAO, via San Domenico 11, Turin

• When: until 29 November 2026, Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-18:00 (closed Mondays, ticket office closes one hour before)

• Tickets: included in the permanent collection ticket

Harry Gruyaert at CAMERA: last days for the master of colour

If you're planning a trip to Turin in the coming weeks, this is the last chance to catch "Retrospettiva", the first major Italian exhibition dedicated to Harry Gruyaert, the Belgian photographer born in 1941 and a longstanding member of Magnum Photos. The show closes on 4 October 2026 at CAMERA — Italian Centre for Photography, via delle Rosine 18.

Gruyaert was among the first European photographers, between the 1970s and 80s, to treat colour not as a way of describing reality but as an independent visual language — at a time when serious photography was still almost exclusively black and white. Curated by CAMERA's new artistic director François Hébel, the exhibition traces his career from his earliest images shot in London in the 1970s to his more recent work spanning film and digital.

If you're visiting during the closing week, it's worth checking whether spots remain for the accompanying masterclass "La geometria del colore" ("The Geometry of Colour"), running until 4 October — details on bookings are on CAMERA's official website.

• Where: CAMERA, via delle Rosine 18, Turin

• When: until 4 October 2026 (final days), daily 11:00-19:00 (last entry 30 minutes before closing)

• Tickets: full €13, reduced €10, free with the Abbonamento Musei card

Festival delle Colline Torinesi: the 31st edition reinvents itself

From 6 to 18 October 2026, the Festival delle Colline Torinesi returns — one of Italy's most established contemporary theatre festivals — marking its 31st edition with several changes: an artistic direction shared for the first time by Isabella Lagattolla and Federica Rosellini, and a more compact but intense format, with thirteen days of programming, nineteen performances and eleven Italian premieres.

The festival's heart remains Teatro Astra, reimagined this year as three unconventional spaces, but the programme also extends to Fondazione Merz and the Coro di Santa Pelagia. Opening the festival on 6 and 7 October at Fondazione Merz is "Credere alle maschere" by Romeo Castellucci; closing it on 17 and 18 October is Catalan choreographer Núria Guiu Sagarra, making her Italian debut.

It's a festival built for anyone who likes discovering new names before they become widely known: many of the artists on the programme, often under 45, are appearing in Italy for the very first time.

• Where: Teatro Astra and other venues (Fondazione Merz, Coro di Santa Pelagia), Turin

• When: 6-18 October 2026

• Tickets: on sale at fondazionetpe.it/festival

Planning your art weekend in Turin

All three venues are within walking distance or a short public transport ride from the historic centre, and work well as a one- or two-day itinerary:

• If you only have one day, visit the MAO and CAMERA in the morning (they're about 15 minutes apart on foot) and save the evening for a Festival delle Colline Torinesi performance, if the dates line up with your stay.

• Always check opening hours and ticket availability on each venue's official website in advance: many Festival premieres have limited capacity.

• Keep in mind that the Harry Gruyaert retrospective closes on 4 October: if your trip is planned after that date, the MAO and the Festival are still excellent reasons to come.

If you're staying in one of our properties in Alba or Turin, the city centre is under an hour away from the Langhe by train or car — making this art-filled weekend an easy addition to a few days among the vineyards.

Come discover Turin's autumn of art from here:

If you're already planning your stay, take a look at our Boutique House: a comfortable base for exploring both Turin and the Langhe, with the flexibility to return each evening to a welcoming place after a day of museums and theatre.

AI Disclosure

This article was drafted with the support of artificial intelligence tools, under the editorial supervision of Walter Perlo (AlbaTorinoEscapes), in accordance with EU Regulation 2024/1689 on Artificial Intelligence (the AI Act). All dates, opening hours and ticket information were verified at the time of publication; visitors are still advised to check official websites before visiting, as programmes may change.