Turin, or Torino, is not an obvious destination for holidays in Italy. While Florence and Rome feature heavily on the tourist train, the Piedmont region gets less attention, making it all the better for those who want to explore at their own pace.
The first capital of modern Italy, Turin is still one of Italy’s larger cities with over a million inhabitants. Situated in the North West of Italy and an hour’s drive from France, it’s cut into two halves by the Po river, with gently-sloping hills, scattered with villas and stretching off into the Alps.
Elegant, covered arcades in the city centre make it ideal for strolling and shopping at any time of year, while outside you’ll find pavement cafes and bars set out on cobblestoned streets. Don’t let that last detail put you off if you’re planning on bringing a bike: Turin is also an excellent city for cyclists, as an extensive network of cycle lanes has recently been introduced.
Turin has a wide range of attractions for visitors, including Italy’s National Cinema Museum, which was opened in 2000 and is housed in a spectacular contemporary building. Following the parth of the Po river is the beautiful Valentino Park, which houses the elegant Valentino Castle and a small Medieval village.
Finally, no visit to Turin is complete without spending some time at Eataly: widely considered to be the world’s first ever Slow Food supermarket. Expect to be astonished by the range of artisan Italian food, from hand shaped pastas of all shapes and sizes to deliciously rich olive oils and local cheeses – all guaranteed by the Slow Food Movement.
Image: Dalbera
