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Torino fans?

chachalaca

100+ Posts
Fine tuning, I am. Thanks to many of you who helped with the lodging particulars for Rome, I am able to begin fine tuning the "nephew's graduation trip" which is turning into "Laura's great romp"! I'm very excited for him, as well as for ourselves.

After 8 days in Rome, and 2 in Bologna for a quick Lamborghini tour and a day long gourmet food tour, we will be spending a week in Cocconato d'Asti near Torino in a house.

I know the slow food movement began in Torino. I'm also aware that there's an awesome film museum as well as a car museum, the cathedral and the shroud (which will have just gone off the visiting circuit as we arrive). What is your top "I'd never return to Torino without going/visiting/doing…"?

Does anyone have favorite spots to watch life unfold? A favorite cafe? A must-eat-here restaurant? A picnic spot to die for? Day trip advice? Hiking trails we should hit?

We'll be heading to southern France at the end of the week, if that makes any difference in your suggestions. We're healthy, easy to please and enjoy rubbing elbows with the locals.

Thank you again and again…
Laura
 
Laura,
How was your time in Bologna and Torino? A friend and I are thinking of spending a week in those 2 cities next spring.
 
Cocconato! We spent a delightful week and a half there a few years back. There are some wonderful places to visit nearby, and the village is charming. My old blog has details of that trip here that you might find useful: http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/amy/archives/italy/piemonte2013/
(On edit--I just noticed the original question is from some time ago, apologies. I'll leave this here in hopes it benefits someone else)

Susan--As for Torino, it's been some time since my stay there, but I recall as my top picks walking in the Quadrilatero Romano, the huge market, and the Cinema Museum. There are cafes in all the piazzas, lovely to just hang out with an aperitivo--and many of them serve large antipasti spreads. We had a good meal at L'Acino, delicious coffee/chocolate at al Bicerin (the church across the piazza has a side chapel with fascinating ex-votos)
There's a little book called A Civilized Traveler's Guide to Turin" by Eugenia Bell that has super walks.

I love Bologna, have been there three times now. Lots to see and do, great food, good train and lodging options. From there we've taken the train to Ravenna, Florence (fast train gets you there in 40 minutes) and Milano. I have details of our first week here: http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/amy/archives/italy/bologna_2013/
 
Amy, thanks for the info and the links to your articles. I just ordered the Eugenia Bell book.
Any chance you went to Dozza? I just found this little town and it looks like a fun spot to visit.
 
Hi Susan,

We had a great time! We spent two nights in Bologna, en route to Cocconato, but could've easily spent a few more. There was an outdoor cinema set up for summer, markets and so much more we were too busy to take advantage of. Since we had a teenager with us we did the Italian Days tour which was a combination of amazing and overwhelming. If you're interested I can provide details.

From Cocconato we visited Torino on a day trip. That little city also deserves more time and attention. The Egyptian museum was absolutely incredible. Outside of Egypt it is touted as the best Egyptian exhibit in the world and one can easily see why. I think a couple of nights would be absolutely enjoyable. We had an awesome meal at Eataly, which we hadn't intended upon visiting. It just so happened that the menu appealed, we sat and once we were handed copies of the menu saw the name of the place.

We visited some wineries from our Cocconato base (in Barolo) and several hill town markets. We truly had a wonderful time. If you have other questions, Susan, just ask!

Laura
 
Fantastic Laura, I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your time in the area. My friend and I are planning a week in Rome, then we'll take the train to Bologna for a few nights, another train to Torino for a few nights, and then end with one night in Milan. We are flying into Rome and out of Milan. We won't have a car.

When we are in Bologna, we plan to visit Ravenna for the mosaics and Faenza for the ceramics museum.

We'd love to hear any suggestions for sights, food, etc!
 
Hi Susan,

Sounds like a fun trip you have planned! I LOVE Bologna. I have been there a few time and have done all of my traveling throughout Italy using trains, buses, boats, taxis. It's pretty easy as long as the trains are not delayed. I have done a bunch of blog posts on Bologna that might help. Here's the link: https://shaveicegelato.wordpress.com/tag/bologna/

I also have been to Torino once back in 2006. I was surprised just how much I enjoyed my time there. As Laura mentioned, the Egyptian Museum is outstanding! I also had a lot of fun at the Cinema Museum as well as taking the elevator to the top of La Mole Antonelliana. I also really enjoyed the boat ride I took on the River Po and a tour of the Palazzo Reale. Here's a link from an older blog with a few posts on Torino:
https://viaggio2006e2005italia.blogspot.com/search/label/torino

I am sorry I did not see this post sooner for Laura. Glad her trip went well! I was busy with my last year teaching, packing, selling my condo, and then moving to Colorado. I hope to be more active now that I am finally settled and not working a winter ski job.

If you have any more questions, I will try my best to help.

susan (girasoli)
 
Susan,
Thanks for all the links. I am happily perusing them. I am sure once I have a few more details worked out, I'll be back with more questions.

My brother lives in Golden, so we travel to Colorado every year - you are lucky to live in such a beautiful state.
 
Happy to help!

I noticed that some of the links in a few of my older posts still do not work. I thought I got them all to work once I migrated over from my Slow Travel blog. They still work on that blog but right now but the Slow Travel blogs are a mess with something going on with Internet Brands. If you need info on any of the links, I can easily get the info to you. Also my Picassa slideshows no longer work since Picassa no longer works.

I have been to the Home Depot in Golden :) If you are ever in Steamboat, look me up!!
 
Hi Laura
Torino is a favourite city of ours. I think we're over 10 visits now!

My highlights will differ to others so I'll start with the specifics you sought:

Favourite café: I don't know what you know of Torino, but in terms of historic cafes, Torino is pretty special. Our favourite of the historic cafes is Al Bicerin in Piazza della Consolata (NW part of the city). It's very low key in comparison to those on Piazza San Carlo, but has a lovely cosy charm. Back in the day, apparently this was one café that ladies would feel comfortable to go to, when normally such places were mostly for men. IIRC also run by ladies for many years.

Must eat here restaurant? I'm loathe to suggest anything, as tastes vary. I would have suggested Piazza dei Mestieri from when we first went there, but a recent visit was less exciting. This is an unusual social project, taking in kids who are 'on the fringe of society' and training them up in various skills including cooking, baking, chocolate making and brewing (with no doubt other elements). As part of this they have a 'pub' and upstairs within the main building, there is a restaurant. The location is a little hidden away, on a road between Corso Francia (west of Stazione Porta Susa) and Corso Regina Margherita:
  • Address: Via Jacopo Durandi 13, Turin 10144
  • Phone: +39 011 19709679
I want to support them, because what they are attempting is worthy / special, but our last visit and a meal in the city centre bar / restaurant both disappointed.

We do always go to Taverna dell'Oca between Stazione Porta Nuova and the Mole. It's not fancy, has a decent but not thrilling wine list, but the food has always impressed, they are friendly and that gives a lovely atmosphere.
  • Address: Via Dei Mille 24, Turin 10123
  • Phone: +39 011 837547

For a deep and wonderfully fairly priced wine list and good traditional food (and on very good form last time we visited), try either Tre Galli or Tre Galline (the latter more informal). Here's the address for Tre Galli with the shared website
  • Address: Via Sant'Agostino 25, Turin 10122
  • Phone: +39 011 5216027

Finally, a place that has hit high highs and frustratingly also a few lows, and sometimes is booked out for a function or private event, Vitel Etonné (referring to vitello tonnato, a great local dish often served as a starter). It's not fancy and was more of an enoteca (wine bar / wine shop also serving tasty food), but now very much leads on the food, but with an interesting wine selection.
  • Address: Via San Francesco da Paola 4, Torino, Turin 10123
  • Phone: +39 011 8124621

There are however plenty of great restaurants, so do take a chance if you see somewhere that looks appetising.

Hiking trails: In the city itself, Parco Valentino is good for a leisurely stroll. Outside of the city, the Basilica di Superga might appeal as a place to stroll around, look inside and take in the views. It also has an unusual (and steep) rack railway to take you up & down from the village/suburb at the foot of the hill. An indelible memory is the time it started careering down the hill at speed, and the calm way the drivers assistant (or perhaps tutor), strolled over to show him how to apply the brake! A place that might appeal is the Museo della Montagna, over the river near Gran Madre (wedding scene in the Italian Job movie). It covers walking, mountaineering and life in the mountains, and on a clear day the viewing platform gives a view of the mountains (as well as the city).

Picnic spot: Parco Valentino an option, and the small royal park behind the Piazza Castello buildings might also be ideal. For buying picnic items, there are some wonderful food shops (Torino is exceptional in this respect), with via Lagrange having a decent selection, plus the old town streets around via dei Mercanti also very good. However keep your eyes peeled because there are some great places dotted across the town. The daily market is very good for food, based on Piazza della Repubblica to the north of the city. This is very much a place to rub shoulders with the locals. It can feel a little edgy, but I've never had any issues or seen any issues. The only place in the city I tend to raise my awareness, but Torino's most edgy probably equates to some cities' most safe/secure!
 
One final thing not asked for, but Torino is very proud of it's chocolate and many are very fine indeed. My vote goes to Odilla, a place that seemed to capture a little of the spark suggested in the film Chocolat. They certainly aren't afraid to experiment with flavours and often succeed remarkably. They're based in the Crocetta area, south of the main part of the city.
  • Address: Via Fratelli Carle, 38, Turin
  • Phone: +39 011 504852

Whilst talking about the districts, Torino is a large city, albeit on an easy to understand (mostly) grid system. The GTT site has a map of the bus/tram/metro routes that is well worth downloading (or getting a paper copy of - GTT office never have any, the tourist office don't stock it, but some kind tabaccheria owners will give you one if they have any). Some days we walk, but when we want to go far north, south, east or west, we'll generally buy a 'giornaliero' (day ticket) which can be used in the calendar day in which is was first stamped in the bus/tram. i.e. it always expires at midnight on the day it was used. This does us well, makes it easy to use (just stamp it when you get on the first bus/tram in the morning, and thn you can out it away somewhere safe), leaving us the option to have a day using the buses/trams, then just walk or get the odd bus the day after. There is a multi-day Torino Card that has travel plus museum discounts / entry.
 
Oops! I should have read all the thread.
We're planning to head back there soon, just for a shopping trip, nice food & wine and just to get back to a favourite place. My cribsheet gets revised every year, as new discoveries are made and other places shut down (I still mourn our favourite restaurant on Corso San Maurizio closing - I even tried web searching for the chef's name in the hope he'd move somewhere else!)
 
Just booked for a 5 night stay (aka some 'light shopping' :D)

Actually checking back, I think I overestimated, as this would be the 8th different place in Torino we've stayed and we've only been back to one of the places for a return visit (it would have been more but the prices went up a lot).

Updated Golosario (2017) in the post, time for some swift updating of the 'cribsheet'!
 
We just spent a couple of nights in Turin and really enjoyed it. We stayed at the Townhouse 70 & it was a perfect hotel for us - great location, good breakfast (included in the price), friendly staff, quiet rooms, and not too expensive.

We loved the beautiful cafes, really didn't anticipate how beautiful they were inside. We also enjoyed an amazing apertivo at Grand Hotel Sitea. And, as Ian mentions, all the chocolate was amazing. I have never seen such elaborate Easter chocolates. We had wanted to go up the tower at the film museum, but the lines were incredibly long, so we skipped it. We did spend several hours at the Egyptian museum. It was also crowded as they had just opened a new exhibit, but so worthwhile. I would go back to Turin just for this museum.

Thanks to all for the advice & postings here, Turin had not been on my radar as a place to visit until I read about it here and at SlowTrav.
 
Hi Susan
Yes we stayed at Townhouse 70, not last time but the time before that. Unusual for us, as normally we get an apartment. I did like the extra space of the storage area / study, allowing me to start the packing whilst my partner took a lunchtime snooze. The staff were good, though the bar was a little half-heartedly done and the red wine was warm and oxidised (which they replaced with something fresher). I liked the idea of the communal table at the front for breakfast, but I can't recall any conversations striking up. Getting a room at the back makes a big difference to the noise, due to the trams on via XX Settembre. The location is almost perfect, the only drawback being the distance to either train station, but neither are particularly far away.

Good to hear the Museo Egizio was good, as my partner is thinking about revisiting (she was very tired when we went before and it was before the major refurb). I think she sees it as a way to avoid my (mostly food & wine) shopping frenzy!

I take it the Grand Sitea is a recommendation for aperitivo? We've asked for recommendations from the place we're staying, as such things can change every year. Was it a help yourself buffet of food with the drinks or a plate of food with the drinks? One appeal of aperitivo for us is that if we're still a bit full from lunch, that a good generous helping of tasty food with a couple of aperitivo drinks can be enough in lieu of an evening meal.

regards
Ian
 
Actually checking back, I think I overestimated, as this would be the 8th different place in Torino we've stayed and
Actually it's the 9th, as I'd forgotten the 2nd visit, where I'd accidentally walked off with the room key on leaving... on it's ludicrously heavy metal key fob. It was only as I went to empty my pockets at the airport security check, that I realised! One recorded delivery parcel later, they got their key back :oops:
 
For others thinking of staying at the TownHouse, we just took a cab from the train station & it cost less than 10 euros.
Ian, I am not a fan of conversation with strangers in the morning so we just sat at the individual tables, love that they offer both. We never tried the hotel bar as there were too many other options! We had also heard that the tram side can be noisy so asked for a room in the back when we booked.

Yes, I'd recommend Grand Sitea for apertivo. It was a plate of food with the drinks & included several different items & we felt no need for dinner afterwards. The bar is very small (enter the hotel, go to the right, and the bar will be on your right) and the space is beautiful. We enjoyed watching the bartender make out drink - she took it very seriously & the garnishes were lovely. (I will say that our favorite apertivo spot on the trip was Caffè Zanarini in Bologna, so if you are going there as well, check it out. We stood at the bar & they brought small plates to us & also had a buffet.)

Definitely make time for Museo Egizio. They have some amazing large statues and I've never seen such an intact papyrus scroll as their book of the dead. Their current exhibit about the early expeditions and creation of the collection is very well done as well. The only thing I didn't appreciate is the displays with actual ancient burials. I'm not a fan of displaying bodies in museums, no matter how old they are.
 
We just got back from a five-night stay in Torino. We stayed at TownHouse 70 and it was just right for us -- perfect central location, easy to get to from Porta Nuova train station on tram #4, very nice room and good breakfast.

We had some excellent meals at Taverna dell'Oca and Vinolento (thanks for the recommendations, Ian!), L'Acino (thanks Amy!), Porto di Savona and Le Fanfaron. I'd go back to all of them. We made reservations every night and probably would have been turned away at all of these places without them. Even on a weeknight in March, restaurants in Torino are busy!

I'd agree that Museo Egizio is very worth seeing. We also enjoyed the Porta Palazzo market and the elevator up the Mole Antonelliana. For Fiat fans, I'd highly recommend going to Fiat Centro Storico, a sweet museum of all things Fiat that is open Sundays only (and it's free!).

While the weather was delightfully spring-like, it was hazy (smoggy?) nearly the whole time we were there. We only caught a glimpse of the Alps through the haze on one day. Had it been clear, we would have visited the Basilica di Superga for the views. Maybe next time!

Many thanks to Ian, Amy and Laura for the wonderful Torino suggestions.
 
Hi Katt
Thanks for this - although Vinolento is on my cribsheet, I've not yet been, so I appreciate the confirmation it's good. We might give it a go ourselves as we'll probably spend a bit of time in that part of town.

As an experiment, I've had a play with Google maps to put a lot of my cribsheet into that format as a 'Torino food explorer'. We'll give it a go and see how we get on, and will find a way to share it here. What is immediately apparent is it really brings home 'hot spots' of places that might interest, making it easier to ensure I'm not diving around like a headless chicken. I've now added Le Fanfaron to that google map. :cool:

It was also easyl to do this for the festival in Ciriè this weekend, marking out the various streets / piazze housing events, so we can see the extent of the festival. On that smaller scale, it's easy to print the map off.

regards
Ian
 

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