Turin, Italy

Turin, Italy

According to itypeusa, Turin is the capital of Piedmont and the fourth largest city in Italy. Despite the proximity of the Alps, people come here not for the sake of their snow-capped peaks. The city attracts travelers with its rich history, cozy streets and an abundance of attractions. It will take at least a week to see all the historical buildings, museums and expositions of Turin. But you need to have time to enjoy leisurely walks through the squares and squares, the Po River embankment and other atmospheric corners of the city.

Gourmets will not be indifferent to the local cuisine and the famous Piedmontese wines “Barolo” and “Barbaresco”. For a gastronomic experience, visit family-run trattorias with traditional Turin dishes and local flair. Those with a sweet tooth will love the small coffee houses that serve excellent bicherin and chocolate desserts.

Turin Piedmont Card

Torino Piemonte Card – a pass to dozens of museums, parks and castles in Turin and the entire Piedmont region. The subscription includes free admission to the Royal Palace, the garden, the library and the armory, the medieval village and the fortress in Valentino Park, the Juventus FC museums, cars, the Archaeological Museum and others. The chapel of the Holy Shroud and several other religious sites are also available to cardholders. Theatres, concert halls, tour desks and adventure parks offer discounts of up to 50%. To use, you must present the Torino Piemonte Card when purchasing a ticket.

The subscription is also beneficial for those who do not plan to visit many museums and events, but are going to actively move around the city. Together with the card, you can buy preferential travel cards – 4.50 EUR for 2 days, 6 EUR for 3 days. For children 3-10 years old – 2.50 EUR for 3 days.

A subscription is sold separately for travel to the Mole Antonelliana elevator, the stop of the Sassi-Superga tram sightseeing route and the Venaria Express bus, costs 6 EUR for adults and 2.50 EUR for children 6-12 years old, valid for 3 days.

Torino Piemonte Card is issued for 24 hours (25 EUR), 2 days (35 EUR), 3 days (42 EUR) and 5 days (51 EUR). You can buy Junior cards for 48 and 72 hours – 15 and 19 EUR, respectively. Cards and transport passes are sold at tourist information centers and some shops, a complete list of points of sale with addresses is at the office. website (in English).

Shopping

In numerous shops and outlets in Turin, Italians themselves prefer to dress. They know that in the capital of Piedmont and its suburbs, the prices for clothes and shoes of fashion brands are several times lower than in neighboring Milan, and the range is no worse. In addition, crowds of tourists do not interfere with calm shopping.

For original watches and jewelry, it is better to go to the border with Switzerland – discounts in stores there reach 30%.

Most of Turin’s shops are concentrated on the central streets. On Via Roma, mainly mass-market brands are sold, and on Via Lagrange, which is parallel to it, there are only luxury boutiques. Budget youth clothing should be looked for on Via Garibaldi. Fans of unusual things should look at the Porta Palazzo and Gran Balon markets. Experienced tourists claim that there is almost everything here – from antique furniture to farm products. Large outlets where you can buy designer items of past seasons with a discount of up to 70%, and shopping centers are located outside the city.

As memorable gifts, the symbol of the city is brought from Turin – figurines of bulls, attributes of the Juventus football club, models of cars from the Automobile Museum. Of the local delicacies, Novi and Venchi chocolate, roasted chestnuts and hazelnut sweets deserve attention.

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Cuisine and restaurants of Turin

The gastronomic tastes of Turintians differ from the preferences of other Italians. They prefer various types of pasta and risotto to pizza, and meat to seafood. Most of the dishes are prepared by local chefs using farm products and generously flavored with butter, so they turn out tasty and satisfying. It is customary to drink Piedmontese wines and vermouth with food.

Of the traditional dishes in Turin, it is worth trying small agnolotti ravioli with three different fillings, minestra stew with beans and pasta, “bolito misto” from several types of meat and offal, as well as beef stewed in wine “brasato al barolo”.

For fresh or stewed vegetables, you should take bagna cauda sauce made from anchovies, olive oil and garlic, and grissini bread sticks for soup. Piedmont is also famous for its cheeses and white truffles. Of the sweets, chocolate and all desserts from it deserve attention.

You can taste local delicacies in Turin everywhere, as well as dishes from most other cuisines of the world. The average check for a dinner with wine is 50-70 EUR per person, depending on the level and location of the establishment. For local color and reasonable prices, it is better to go to a family trattoria. It is also worth visiting the historic cafes. The establishments are located in historic buildings with stucco ceilings. Elements and customs of different styles and eras are mixed in the interior and recipes. For those who prefer to eat on a budget, it is better to pay attention to small cafes on the outskirts and fast food.

Entertainment and attractions

Fans of sightseeing tourism in Turin will not be bored – there are many architectural buildings and museums, as well as sights covered in a halo of mystery and mysticism. What is one Shroud of Turin worth – an object of reverence for the entire Catholic world.

Historical sightseeing in Turin goes well with excursions to mystical places and gastronomic tours with wine tasting.

It is worth starting your acquaintance with architecture with Mole Antonelliana, the main symbol of the city and the tallest brick tower in Europe. From the observation deck, Turin is visible at a glance. An excellent view also opens up from the hill where the Basilica of Superga stands – a vivid example of the late Baroque, in the walls of which Piedmontese kings are buried. It is allowed to descend into the crypt only with a guide. On the back of the building is a memorial to the local football team – “Torino”. In 1949, the plane with the players on board hit the dome of the basilica and crashed.

You can escape from gloomy thoughts in the residence of the Savoy monarchs – Valentino Castle, built in the historical part of the city. Now the building houses a university, and there is a park in the courtyard. Another residence of local kings, Madama Palace, was founded in the 1st century and subsequently rebuilt several times. Now her appearance combines baroque splendor and Romanesque austerity. Nearby is one of the best creations of Gvarino Guarini – the Church of San Lorenzo.

Those who are interested in religious sites should definitely visit the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. It was erected on the site of the first Christian churches in the 15th century, and a century later an extension was made in which tourists can see a copy of the legendary Turin shroud. Once every quarter of a century, it is replaced by the original of the famous relic, but not for long.

4 things to do in Turin

  1. Visit the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, in the bowels of which the famous Shroud is kept.
  2. Try the most correct and real risotto.
  3. View the luxurious collection of the Egyptian Museum – the Egyptians nervously smoke on the sidelines.
  4. Watch 20 films at the same time on the faceted screen of the Cinema Museum.
  5. Take a step away from traditional historical routes and get to know the city from a mystical side.
  6. Climb to the observation deck of Mole Antonelliana to take in all of Turin at a glance.

Turin Museums

In total, there are more than 40 expositions in the city, many of which are located in historical buildings. So, in the Palazzo Madama there is an extensive collection of ancient antiquities. You can continue your acquaintance with ancient artifacts in the Egyptian Museumlocated in the palace of the Academy of Sciences. In terms of the richness of the exposition, it is second only to Cairo.

Fans of modern expositions will love the National Film Museum, which occupies 5 floors of the Mole Antonelliana. And under the numerous exhibits of the Museum of Automobiles, whose collection allows you to see the entire history of the industry from the first cars to modern concept cars, a separate building was built near the Lingotto station.

Weather

The mild and comfortable climate of Turin belongs to the Mediterranean type. The weather is reminiscent of Sochi, but the proximity of the Alps makes its own adjustments. In winter it is colder here, at night it often freezes, but not much. During the day, the temperature is usually below zero.

Precipitation falls all year round, the rainiest time is late spring-early summer. In July, the rains subside, the weather is warm, without suffocating heat, and lasts until October. It is summer, starting from July, and the first third of autumn that are considered the best time of the year for excursions in Turin.

Turin, Italy

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