Italy – Turin

Of all the major Italian cities, perhaps the most unsung one is Torino (Turin). Torino is a prosperous city with large boulevards and grand buildings. In contrast to most Italian cities (that I’ve seen at least) which are dense and charmingly chaotic, Torino is a city laid out with a plan.

Still, the architecture is amazing ! I arrived tired an night and wasn’t paying attention, but first street out in the morning, I was positively surprised! At each turn, there is a gem: columns, marble, incredible details of wrought iron, glass, paintings and more. Turin was the first capital city of Italy and home to the royal House of Savoy, which explains why the city is full of palaces. It’s not just the exterior, the interiors of buildings are treasures as well. Different styles and periods are mixed up, with a palpable industrous spirit, being the home of Italy’s car industry.

Cradled by the rivers Dora and Po, and the Alps, Turin is a walkable city, made all the more pleasant by the long arcades to stroll through. I spent 2 days in Turin and I spent most of my time just walking around, head up to watch the buildings.

A few stops to make on the way, after strolling next to the Po River:

• Porta Palazzo market: the largest open-air market in Europe with around 800 stalls is a multicolored vintage market set up in the alleys and attracts huge crowds, tourists but also many of the locals. It’s a great opportunity to soak up the colors, scents and the local produce of the region. Piazza della Repubblica

• Monte dei Cappuccini (Cappuccini hill): up on a hill overlooking the River Po near the bridge of Piazza Vittorio Veneto, you’ll find the Church of Santa Maria al Monte dei Cappuccini. is a late-Renaissance style church built in 1656. But the main interest is one of the best viewpoints of the city with the Alps in the horizon. The biggest advantage is that it’s just a few minutes easy walk the city centre. And the walk up is actually pretty nice itself! I however recommend you to go if the weather is nice; if it’s a gloomy or rainy day, you won’t be able to see anything.

To be honest, I didn’t visit the two most renown museums in the city: Mole Antonelliana and the Egyptian Museum. There was just too many people waiting and I didn’t want to waste hours queuing. But everyone seems to recommend it so if you have time, I’d go and check it out.

Turin is also renowned for its food. As it should be! Turin is the Italian capital of chocolate. The famous gianduja, made with hazelnuts to add volume and thickness, as hazelnuts are plentiful in the region, is the origin of Nutella.

It also offers a wide range of Piemontese and Savoyard delicacies, among which, the white tartufo (truffle), served with tajarin (pasta) or risotto. Agnolotti are other types of local pasta, smaller than ravioli, meat-filled. Incredible… You also have to try Bagna Cauda (garlic and anchovy sauce), often served as antipasti. While visiting in February, I had artichoke for every meal, so I think it’s safe to say it was the season. And to top of all of the delicious food, wine ! Torino is located in the Piedmont region which encompasses the Asti, Alba, and Langhe regions, which are incredibly famous wine regions. You can’t go wrong by ordering: Barbera, Dolcetto, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo, Barolo (personnaly, I like the Barolo a bit less) or a fizzy white Moscato.

There are so many restaurants in Turin, but it seems like it’s common sense for everyone to books his table, even for lunch, so it can be hard to get a seat… I’d suggest you call in advance if you really want a restaurant highly ranked on Tripadvisor, or just walk around and choose a cute little restaurant that just speaks to you, like we did.

• Il bacaro: absolutely adorable at night, super romantic and delicious local food. Piazza della Consolata, 1
• Mollica: delicious home made sandwichs. You can choose the sort sort of foccaccia, then every ingredient in it, inclusing incredible stracciatella cheese. The place is cute and very small but you can also take your sandwich to go. It’s cheap, incredibly fresh and good, but HUGE (one would easily be enough for two people). Piazza Madama Cristina 2 Bis, Mon 12:30-3:30pm, Tue-Fri 12:30-3:30pm and 7:30-10pm, Sat 12-9pm

• Smile Tree: a few meters next to the restaurant Il Bacaro, grab a cocktail at the bar. The place is super nicely decorated and the cocktails are great. Especially all the effort they put in the presentation: every cocktail has a special presentation (smoke,  special glass, etc.) Piazza della Consolata, 9/c, Thu-Sun 9pm-2am

• Caffè Elena: ideally located on the beautiful Piazza Vittorio Veneto, the terrasse is a delight to have a hot chocolate (made from real melted chocolate) or a glass of wine. Apparently, it was one of Nietzsche’s favorite spot, and I understand why. Piazza Vittorio Veneto, 5, Mon-Sun 8am-2am