Travel Eye on Turin (Italy)

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Overview:

Turin ( Torino ) is the capital of Italy's Piemonte (Piedmont) region, in the far north-west of the country, and is famous for a curious assortment of things: including Fiat, chocolate, football and the Turin Shroud. Close to the Alps, Turin makes a good starting-point for skiing holidays; it also deserves a few days to itself as tourist destination.

One of Italy's most important industrial centres, home to around 900,000 people and covering an area of over 50 sq mls, this prosperous city's appeal as a tourist destination has often been overlooked. But while the suburbs are characterised by car plants and factories, the city centre offers a wealth of hidden treasures and architectural interest, much of which bears witness to Turin's often turbulent history.

There is a full range of accommodation, although predominantly middlemarket and geared towards business and conference clientele. It is quiet and good value in August, but busier and more expensive during the ski season.

This city is predominantly business and convention clientele plus increasing numbers of holidaymakers and weekenders. Attracts backpackers and upmarket visitors alike. Lovers of art, architecture and culture, shopaholics and soccer fans will all find something of interest.

Locality:

In NW Italy, at the heart of the Piemonte region. 350 mls NW of the capital, Rome. 100 mls SW of Milan. 100 mls N of San Remo on the Mediterranean coast. 35 mls E of Piemontese ski resorts and the French border. 10 mls S of Caselle airport. At the confluence of the rivers Po, Stura and Dora Riparia, right at the W edge of a flat plain, in an area known as the Po Valley. Wooded hills to the E; Alps to the W.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

If you plan on visiting several Turin tourist attractions, you should consider investing in the Torino Card , a good-value ticket giving you free entry to over 120 museums and attractions in the Turin and Piedmont area. It also offers various other reductions and free travel on public transport. The card lasts either 48 hours (for €15) or 72 hours (€17), and you don't need to visit many of Turin's sights before you've made a saving. Cards can be purchased at Turismo Torino information points (the main tourist information office is in a pavilion in the centre of Piazza Solferino). A handy brochure gives details and opening times.

Daytime can be spent walking tours to get the best of the city's baroque architecture, long vaulted arcades and piazzas, 40 museums, including art museums and galleries, the Egyptian Museum, an impressive Automobile Museum and the Royal Armoury.

Popular attractions include:

Egyptian Museum - One of Turin's best museums is the Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum), reckoned to be the best collection of Egyptian artefacts outside Cairo. Some displays are extremely well-presented, with texts in English, but other parts of the museum await modernisation. There are fascinating reconstructions of burial chambers, and plenty of mummies to delight the macabre imaginations of children.

Duomo and the Turin Shroud - One of the biggest disappointments for visitors is that you can't see the Turin shroud. Although it is housed in the city's Duomo - when not being subjected to testing - the shroud is currently kept safely locked up. A large photograph is the nearest you can get to examining the shadowy impressions.

Piazza Castello - is the hotspot of tourist Turin, home to grand palaces such as Palazzo Reale , the royal palace of the Savoy dynasty, and Palazzo Madama , previously a castle, prison, barracks, senate house, and now a museum. Around the Piazza - and indeed throughout Turin - you will find elegant historic cafes; an important part of Turin life. There are lots of benches around the square, making it a good place to rest from the sightseeing.

Mole Antonelliana and Museum of Cinema - One of Turin's most conspicuous tourist attractions is the Mole Antonelliana . Originally intended as a synagogue, the Mole is a tall nineteenth-century brick building topped by an aluminium spire; a strange edifice celebrated on Italy's 2 cent coins.

Restaurants have plenty of variety suiting all budgets, with numerous cafes, a handful of fast-food eateries, top-quality restaurants and traditional trattorias offering good-value pizzas and pasta dishes. Confectioners offer delicious pastries and chocolates, the Italian ice cream needs little introduction.