The Shroud of Turin went on display over the weekend in Turin, Italy at the Turin Cathedral. The Shroud will be on display until the 23^rd of May 2010 and over two million people are expected to make their way to Italy for the event.

Some will be there on religious pilgrimages, believing the Shroud to be the burial cloth wrapped around Jesus. Others will be there because they believe the cloth to be an elaborate hoax and want to see for themselves.  Still others will be there because, regardless of its authenticity, there is an historical significance to an object that has only been on display a handful of times since the Middle Ages when it was discovered.

I will be part of that latter group taking the opportunity to make a historical pilgrimage rather than a religious one.  Despite the medieval nature of the object itself, I made my reservation to see the Shroud online. I’ll be flying with Ryanair to Milan from Stockholm, and then taking the train from Milan to Turin.

I don’t know what to expect. I have never been to Turin, but that is one of the fun things about Europe travel planning, picking a European city and finding a reason to visit.  If you’re also one of the expected two million people coming to see this Turin attraction, make sure that you compare flights and Turin hotel rates to get the lowest prices for your trip.

Image from the Wikimedia Commons and can be viewed here as Duomo_Turin.jpg.