My Torino

Around the central areas between the Po river, via Po, Piazza Castello, Piazza San Carlo, Via Roma, Piazza Solferino and Piazza Carlo Felice, you can walk everywhere under the historic covered archways -which is one of the distinctive characteristics of Torino. Perfect for strolling even on a rainy day!

If you start from Piazza Vittorio near the river Po, you can begin your walk right on Via Po (you can stop at Caffé Elena outside for a nice cappuccino) and either turn right on the second street, that takes you to the Mole Antonelliana --the famous tower and symbol of the city-- that hosts the Museo Nazionale del Cinema (an absolutely must see -my sister works there ;-). They even have an Eataly cafeteria. One block away is my old high school and one of the oldest in the city, Liceo Ginnasio V. Gioberti, and  what used to be the University of Torino's main humanities and social studies campus, plus the Law School that I attended (the ugly huge '60s building, now relocated few blocks away). The oldest building of the University, founded in the 1600s, is on the right side of Via Po and its lovely courtyard will be hard to miss.

If you instead turn left after the first block of Via Po, you can head towards Piazza Maria Teresa and Piazza Cavour, two lovely, quaint squares that I adore, in one of the most exclusive residential streets of central Torino. 

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Another historic square, Piazza Carlina, is also very near and is where you can go see my brother in law's designer eyewear company’s showroom “Vanni"… very cool glasses and a nice store! Walk inside and tell them you’re my friend! You can go back on Via Po where you find another great pasticceria, Caffé Fiorio, famous for gelato al gianduja, or head to the famous Piazza Carlo Alberto and Piazza Carignano (where the first Italian Parliament was and the Museo of Risorgimento is), and from there to the Egyptian Museum. Recently renovated, it is the second most important Egyptian museum in the world, only second to Cairo. The building is fantastic itself, and it’s an absolute must if you like history and archeology.

In Piazza Carlo Alberto you can see the rear of Palazzo Carignano, with an interesting 19th century style façade, different from the 17th century Baroque face facing Piazza Carignano. Piazza Carlo Alberto is connected to Piazza Castello by a beautiful gallery "Galleria Subalpina" where the historic café Baratti and Milano is, the most famous pasticceria where you can taste wonderful paste -small beignets- and their very famous chocolate. 

Piazza Castello is the main square of central Torino, and there you can visit Palazzo Reale, where the royal Savoy family used to live, and Palazzo Madama (which usually has nice exhibitions). If you walk through a small arch on the left side of the royal palace, you reach another very historic area and the marvelous Giardini Reali (the Royal palace's gardens). There you can visit the main cathedral, the Duomo of Torino (with a replica of the Holy Shroud and a small museum attached to it), another very important museum, the "Biblioteca reale" (where you can see the famous Leonardo self portrait,  and the roman ruins (il Foro e le Porte Palatine). The whole area is now one single tourist attraction, "il Polo reale", and you can find all the info here.

On the other side of Palazzo reale you will see a more "modern" street lined with arches (in fact, it was completely restyled during Fascism), Via Roma, where the fanciest shops of Torino are. The first section of it will lead you to Piazza San Carlo, the “living room of Torino”, a very elegant and beautiful square, where you can visit the newly renovated Gallerie d'Italia, a beautiful new venue for arts and culture (especially photography exhibits) right before drinking an aperitivo in one of the many nice cafés, it will remind you a lot of France! The second section of Via Roma will lead you to the main train station, Porta Nuova, and just before it, the very nice small square of Piazza Carlo Felice.

From Piazza Castello you can also walk through the oldest part of the city, called the Quadrilatero, with very narrow streets full of little stores (especially the pedestrian Via Garibaldi) and good restaurants and cafes -including the famous Caffè Al Bicerin-, next to the beautiful church of the Santuario della  Consolata. The whole area is also very diverse, being close to the biggest open air market in Europe, Porta Palazzo, and the new cool indoor market of Mercato Centrale. 

Every Saturday there is also an attached flea market called "Balon" where you can find all sorts of things (and the second Sunday of each month, the bigger one, "Gran Balon")

In fact, every weekday around Torino you can find outdoor markets that sell much more than food and are actually the place to go to find the best clothing deals. My favorite ones are the Mercato of Piazza Benefica (a 20 walk from Porta Susa), Mercato della Crocetta, Mercato di Via Madama Cristina, Mercato di Corso Spezia, and Mercato di Corso Valdocco. This website provides a comprehensive list of them.

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If you get lost around the city center, it's not a problem, since it is all very nice and safe. Peek inside the palazzi to see beautiful courtyards… for example Palazzo Granieri in via Bogino or the palazzo where NH hotel in Piazza Carlina is. From there you can head back to the river, walking in Via Giolitti for example, or via Cavour, passing by Piazza Bodoni, where one of my favorite restaurants is (see below). Parco Valentino, next to the river,  is beautiful park that starts from the bridge at the end of Corso Vittorio. There, you can walk to the Castello del Valentino & Borgo Medioevale that, even though it’s a fake castle (made for the Universal exposition of 1884), is a nice monument that is very much a symbol of Torino.

The neighborhood between the Valentino park and the train station is called San Salvario and used to be a little sketchy, but now has been transformed into a very trendy and lively area, full of dozens of restaurants, bars, and clubs -- so if you’re there around 7-8 pm you should definitely stop for an aperitivo, especially near via Saluzzo!

If you have time, cross the Po river towards the Church Gran Madre di Dio and head to the hills surrounding Torino (where I grew up), full of beautiful historic villas (like Villa della Regina, and a great view of the city.

If you want to visit another beautiful archeological museum, don't miss the Museo di Antichità, behind Palazzo reale. Just a block away is the Museo di Arte Orientale (MAO), a fantastic museum located in a 17th-century palazzo. The museum contains one of the most important collections of Asian art in Italy.

The city's main Contemporary art museums are the GAM, located in the more residential area of Crocetta, on Corso Vittorio, or the Castello di Rivoli, where one of Italy’s most famous contemporary art collections is displayed in an elegant 18th century castle, owned again by the Savoia family.

Camera/Center for Photography has also just opened near Piazza Cavour and has beautiful photo exhibits all year long.

If you are interested in cars instead, and you want to see Torino from another angle, by the river overlooking the hills, check the fabulous Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile, the best one in Italy of its kind - also thanks to its main sponsor, FIAT. You can easily reach it with a short 15-minute taxi or bus ride from the city center