Torino is a city in constant evolution: from Augusta Taurinorum (after 27 a.C.) to the capital of the Savoy Dukedom (1563) until becoming Italy’s first capital (1861), the queen of the automobile industry (1899) and the star of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Today it is being presented with an image that makes it even more appealing.
Torino is a city that is just waiting to be discovered in all of its many aspects: filled with historic evidence, acclaimed museums, works of contemporary art en plein air, cultural events, with its characteristic porticos, renowned historical meeting places, its extensive parks and magic places.
The first capital of Italy, before Florence and Rome
The city preserving Leonardo da Vinci’s self portrait
The Museo Egizio is the only museum other than the Cairo Museum that is dedicated solely to Egyptian art and culture
The National Cinema Museum inside the“Mole Antonelliana”
The city where the Holy Shroud is conserved
The Royal Residences declared by Unesco a Human Heritage Site
The famous historical cafés and patisseries
The capital of contemporary art
The capital of taste, chocolate and aperitifs
The city with 18 km of arcades for shopping
You should discover the diversity of Torino through its many amazing museums, testifying to the history, culture, industry and internationality of the city: from the Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum) – the world’s most prominent one after the museum in Cairo – to the National Museum of Cinema in the glorious setting of the Mole Antonelliana, from the Museum of Ancient Art at Palazzo Madama to the National Museum of the Italian Risorgimento in Palazzo Carignano. Torino’s industrial vocation has found its exhibition centre in the renovated MAUTO National Automobile Museum which tells of the city’s automotive history and the social issues related to it.
Torino is also a vital point of reference for contemporary art: works and installations produced over the last thirty years by internationally famous artists are placed for all to see in the open air or on display at several museums and foundations such as GAM-Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art at Rivoli Castle, the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation, the Merz Foundation and the Giovanni e Marella Agnelli Art Gallery.
Known as the “Crown of Delights”, the group of castles built by the House of Savoy and recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997 looks like a large crown when seen from above. The crown is metaphorical but the delights are real. Right in the centre, in Piazza Castello, there are the majestic Palazzo Reale – which, with the Savoy Gallery, the Royal Armoury, the Royal Library and the Archaeological Museum, form the “Royal Hub” – Palazzo Madama and Palazzo Carignano.
Along the River Po is Valentino Castle, built by Christine of France in the French style and now housing the Faculty of Architecture ofTorino Polytechnic. Just a short way from the centre, the hill embraces Villa della Regina, surrounded by Italianate gardens with pavilions, fountains and agricultural areas. The “crown” is completed by a wonderful collection of castles and residences in the surrounding areas. The incredible Royal Palace of Venaria now hosts major events, exhibitions and concerts in its magnificent interiors and spectacular gardens. A favourite spot of the Savoy family for sumptuous feasts and solemn weddings was the Stupinigi Hunting Lodge, modeled on the style of contemporarily built Central European residences.
A trip to Torino also means a journey into taste, to savour with intimate pleasure in a medley of sensations.
Here the appetisers come in an infinite variety based on meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, salami and cheeses, all obviously to be served with “grissini”, invented in the 17th century for Prince Victor Amadeus II of Savoy.
Any first course has to include “agnolotti”, meat filled pasta which is dressed with either gravy from the roast, or butter and sage, ragout sauce or meat broth.
Not to be missed is the wide range of high quality handmade cheeses coming from our Alpine valleys.
And of course, all of this washed down with the great Piedmontese red and white wines: Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Arneis and many more.
However, a true dinner in Torino must be preceded by the fun ritual that takes place late every afternoon in the cafés, wine bars and clubs along the river… the aperitif!
A cocktail or a glass of vermouth to go with sandwiches, cold cuts and local cheeses, pasta and risotto, multiethnic specialities, and the evening is ready to start!