|
Dining in Europe > Turin Piedmont' is a real food wonderland for a number of reasons, most of them historical: there are links with France and the heritage of a common dynasty through the centuries. There are the famous Savoy kings and a mild, sunny climate with an extraordinary rich soil which, produces some of the worlds best vines, in hill areas such as Langhe and Monferrato (30/50 miles SE of Turin). In top restaurants, exclusive retreats and homes in London, Manhattan or Tokyo, bottles of "Barolo" have taken the place of French wines, while white Alba truffle is beginning to become known by gourmets in the USA and UK, getting special coverage on magazines like "Forbes" or Londons Channel 4 TV. In Italy everybody knows great red wines such as Nebbiolo, Dolcetto or the popular, strong Barbera, the farmers' everyday wine. As a result all the other products of Piedmont are now experiencing cult status, from the aforementioned white truffle from Alba (lets just call it "countryside caviar"!), which costs about $10 per gram (almost the same price as gold). Everything is outstanding in those happy hills: the goat cheeses, the beef and veal from Chivasso (classed amongst the worlds finest breeds), the game, chestnuts, Carmagnola yellow peppers, the woods' wild mushrooms (porcini and reali ), the trout from the Alps' small, unpolluted rivers, the Revigliasco cherries and the dream chocolate and petit patisserie made in the ancient Turin spots like Pfatisch or Baratti & Milano (if you like chocolate, you must pay a visit to places such as these.) Nothing is missing, including aromatic herbs, fish and extravigin olive oil from Liguria, which has been Turins seaside, since the domination of the Savoy dynasty. With such easy conditions, a rich, skilled cooking tradition developed and grew over the centuries, making the experience of dining out, in and around Turin, a kind of a gourmets dream. Entertainment in TurinDon't let yourself be misled by the fact that Turin is known for being an industrial city, the city provides lots of entertainment, both for locals and tourists. Cinema: You'll find more than twenty five cinemas, catering for a population of less than 1 million inhabitants. Unlike many European cities whose cinemas show specific genres of films, the cinemas of Turin show all kinds of movies, from recent American blockbusters to Italys finest offerings. The majority of cinemas in Turin are to be found in the city centre. Il Fiamma, a great choice after an icecream at Miretti, or a more substantial savoury risotto at Risorito; theres il Reposi, which has five screens and shows an exceptional variety of films, l'Olimpia, il Vittoria and l'Ambrosio with its three screens that face the Lucky Nugget and Shamrock Inn. For arthouse film lovers, il cinema Massimo offers screenings of foreign films in their original language and works by new film makers, it is also the seat of various Festivals: the youth cinema festival, the Gay cinema festival and numerous events dedicated to contemporary directors such as Almodovar. Theatre: The theatre season in Turin is extremely varied. The Teatro Stabile organisation deserves special merit, offering programmes of works by Carignano and Alfieri. Opera has space devoted to it in the elegant Teatro Regio or the Piccolo Regio, celebrated performances can also be seen in the welcoming Teatro Nuovo, in the Alfa Teatro and the Monterosa. Turins passion for cabaret and comedy is deeply rooted, Teatro Erba (the home of the Cabaret Festival), the Juvarra and two cafès, Cab 41 and Crazy Bull Caffè are the places to go for some sophisticated singing or a bit of a laugh. If you love foreign theatre companies and avant-garde performances, then the best place to go is the Araldo. Don't miss the fantastical stories using marionette puppets at Teatro Gianduja. Nightlife: For those who want to make a night of it, there are discos and discopubs (loved by the young trendy set). Every year, a new fashionable 'in' establishment springs up, it becomes the place to see and be seen and no one is allowed to think differently, although people should really try something new every so often. La Gare (once a building used as a recreational club for railway workers), became the haunt of Turins crème de la crème and is still going strong. Il Theatrò is the place where the over 25s head to. Here, you can have a meal and then dance the night away. The Hennessy, is frequented by the "Bright young things" of Turin. It is situated on a hill, which rises towards Pino Torinese and during the summer there are outdoor dance floors where you can boogie until late. However, if a Latin-American salsa is more your thing, then Ganas de Mar is the best disco in Turin to let yourself go. You can spend an evening chatting and joking with friends. At the moment, Irish theme pubs the Shamrock Inn is the best loved amongst them. People often sit on the steps that join the first floor to the second rather than choosing a more traditional pub. The Divina Commedia has three floors and allows you to choose between Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise. There are also cyber cafès such as Sherlock Holmes, the Artemia Cyber Club and the Cyber City Chat Cafè. Translated by T. McFarlane Recommended ToursVisiting Turin can be more unpredictable than you might think ... In fact there are many different ways to explore the city and the surrounding area. Try this tour of the city centre in the morning, when you are feeling strong and energetic, its a nice long walk. From Piazza Castello to Piazza Vittorio Starting from Piazza Vittorio, in front of which you can see the huge 'mole' of the Gran Madre and the river Po, walk along Via Po to Piazza Castello. On your way, why not make a small detour through Via Verdi to visit the Cavallerizza quarter? Under the porticoes in Via Po you will see some of Turins most beautiful buildings, such as the university; here you can visit the courtyard, and also some of Turins most famous ice cream parlours and patisseries. I would reccomend going to Caffè Fiorio for an ice cream or hot chocolate (depending on the time of year), its speciality is gianduia (chocolate cream) flavoured ice cream! While we are on the subject of porticoes, perhaps not everyone knows that Turin has kilometres and kilometres of porticoes which line all of the citys main central streets. Continuing down Via Po, have a look around Piazza Castello, where you will find the Royal Palace, the Church of San Lorenzo, the Teatro Regio, and the Palazza Madama. Once you have got to this point you have to make the difficult choice of whether to go down Via Pietro Micca or Via Roma, both of which are skirted by porticoes. If you opt for Via Roma you will come across Piazza San Carlo halfway down the street. This is where everyone goes for their evening "passeggiata" or to have a chat. After Piazza San Carlo, you will enter Piazza Carlo Felice, from here onwards you could go for another long walk under the porticoes of Corso Vittorio. Naturally at this point you could also decide to go back to your starting point by walking back under the porticoes on the other side of the road. In this way you will have toured the centre of Turin without being hit by a single drop of rain! ... Going back to porticoes once again, you shouldn't miss out on the Portici del Lingotto, one of Turins shopping malls ... By now you will be exhausted, so have a quick break for lunch and rest your feet in one of the many small restaurants which surround Via Garibaldi. After this you will have recuperated enough to make an attempt at the next itinerary on foot. Via Garibaldi and its surrounds Via Garibaldi, which was once called Via Dora Grossa, begins and ends in two beautiful squares, Piazza Castello and Piazza Statuto. On your way down you might decide to wander off into some of the pretty side streets and squares which lie next to this road. Exit the Piazzetta Reale through the passage on the left; this leads into Piazza San Giovanni, known as Piazza del Duomo. Here you will find Turins Duomo (cathedral) where the Sindone is kept. At the northern end of the square there are remains of ancient walls, a Roman cobbled floor, a Roman theatre, and the Porta Palatina. If you keep going from here you will come across the picturesque and colourful Porta Palazzo district which is famous for its market, the balon (a Turin collection) and its mixture of different ethnic goups. Continue down Via Milano, and you will arrive in Piazza Palazzo di Città, from here you can follow Via Garibaldi down to Piazza Statuto. This square was first opened in 1864 as one of the four monumental entrances into the city. If your feet are really too tired to do the tour around Via Garibaldi, you could try doing one of these rather more relaxing tours of the city! Boating on the Po At the weekend you can admire the city and its hill on board a boat on the Po. This is free during the Christmas holidays, and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. It is spectacular when the festa degli artisti (arts festival) takes place because Turin is all lit up. In the last few years the Po has become more and more popular with the people of Turin, mainly thanks to the new cycle paths, the boats, and the bars and restaurants along its banks. On the left bank of the Po, between the Umberto I bridge and the Principessa Isabella bridge you will see the Parco del Valentino, the Borgo Medievale, and the Castello where Torino Esposizioni takes place, and finally, the Orto Botanico. Further along the river you will have a good view of the hill which is dotted with the villas of the local nobility and upper classes, and also with many religious buildings such as Monte dei Cappuccini, and the Basilica di Superga. The Touristibus The Touristibus service runs everyday except Tuesdays, and offers a tour of the city and the royal residences. There is a multilingual commentary on board which gives information about the monuments, the museums, and the famous buildings en route. It is a very good service which offers a lot of different opportunities. Tour of the City This tour leaves at exactly 2:30pm and lasts for about 2 hours. It visits: Piazza Castello, Piazza Solferino, Piazza Statuto, Via XX Settembre, Piazza Carlo Felice, Via Accademia delle Scienze, Piazza Vittorio Veneto, Piazza Gran Madre, the Monte dei Cappuccini, Torino Esposizioni, the Autmobile Museum, Lingotto, Stupinigi, FIAT Mirafiori, and the Polytechnic. Tourist Shuttle Buses These buses link Turin with the Royal Residences in Rivoli, and Venaria Reale-La Mandria on bank holidays and weekends. They leave from Piazza Castello. An Ecological Tour Here are some ideas for seeing the greener side of Turin. First of all go to Piazza Vittorio to hire an enviromentally friendly car. Drive alongside the Parco del Po, towards Moncalieri. From here you can get to the Parco della Colletta, where the Dora meets the Po, the Parco naturale della Collina di Superga, the Parco della Rimembranza, the Colle dei Cappuccini, the Parco di Villa Genero, and the Parco del Valentino. By now it will be evening (finally!). Turin is a romantic and beautifully lit city so why not treat yourselves to a special dinner. The Tram Restaurant The tram which usually takes people to work or school can also be a pleasant restaurant from which you can admire Turin while comfortably seated. Ecologists will go mad for this restaurant, as will people who enjoy eating good food, as they can try many Piedmontese specialities on this tram. It is the only restaurant of its kind in Europe. It was originally a 1950s tramcar which has been redesigned by the world famous designer from Turin, Giorgio Gugiaro. You have to book to visit this restaurant (for groups of no more than 40 people) both at lunch time for a 4 hour trip, or for dinner which is a 3 hour trip. S. Hill. The Magic of Turin Turins magic and charm is easy to appreciate through the discovery of its architectural splendour. In fact most of the places linked with strange and interesting rumours can be found right in the centre of town, mingling with the monuments and buildings for which Turin is best known. The trail will take you passed Turins "black" areas associated with Satanism and evil, and on to the "white" town towards the Gran Madre, the place where the two influences meet. The tour starts off from a small obelisk in piazza Statuto that is partially hidden by a sparse clump of trees. Here you can "admire" the inscriptions on the monument such as "666", upside-down crosses and other similar incomprehensible phrases. Beneath you is the spot where Black masses are rumoured to be held. Moving on from this dismal place proceed towards via Garibaldi where the shops serve as a good distraction from the uneasy feeling created at the last stop. At the corner with via Orfane is the church of san Dalmazzo, where suspicion of Satanist rituals is fuelled by the frequent theft of holy water. A couple of blocks along in the area presided over by the church of san Domenico, torture and suffering was once very commonplace since the Inquisition was held here. Now it is time to leave behind this evil side to the town and proceed down via Garibaldi towards Piazza Castello and Palazzo Madama. Once in the piazza, turn to your left to face Palazzo Reale. Move forwards into the courtyard, but stop a minute as you go through the gates. Buried underground are the Alchemy Caves where only the initiated may enter. Behind the Palazzo Reale lies the Duomo, housing the greatest mystery the city has ever seen, the sacred Shroud. Unfortunately the sheet in which Christ was said to be buried, is now hidden in a secret location until restoration work after the fire a few years ago, is completed. However, it is still possible to visit the church. Back in piazza Castello, continue through the surrounding arcades towards via Po, trying hard to ignore the shops on via Roma. A long arcade leads to piazza Vittorio Veneto, providing shelter from the weather conditions along the way. Once in the piazza it is worth taking a moment to appreciate the view of the Po River, the Monte dei Cappuccini on the hilltop to the right, and our final destination on the other side of the river. The Gran Madre di Dio dominates the entire skyline with its well-known statues representing Faith and Religion. Cross over the bridge and take a closer look at them. One is meant to be a warning to the pope, while the other is thought to be the place where the Holy Grail is buried. If you look hard enough you might even be the lucky one who finds the legendary chalice. If you prefer a trip outside the town, hop into a car and head towards the Val di Susa, home of the Avigliana lakes. You can spend the day sunning yourself on the beach or even water-skiing. What is so mysterious about that? Well some people have admitted to seeing strange lights in and out of the calm water, which are thought to be linked to UFOs. And if you are really into extra-terrestrial activity, take a tent up to Monte Musine' and spend the night sky searching. But beware: flying saucers and aliens are no joking matter up here. Still, should you not have a close encounter of the third kind, watch out for the adders living among the rocks! Dining in Europe > Turin
|