Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, please confirm event/venue details in advance.
Italy : Turin - December 2008 Country Code: Dial ++39 for Italy
The Torinesi love Christmas
time. December means more
chocolate, more wine and more
nocciole (hazelnuts). Turin’s
centro storico is transformed into
a gastronome’s paradise, packed
with the best of Piedmont’s treats
and temptations. Warm yourself
up in one of the city’s famed
restaurants or drop into one of
its chic little bars for a quick
vermouth. Matt Barker enjoys a
bit of festive spirit, Turin-style
Getting around
Caselle airport
Bus: A bus service from the airport to the city centre runs every 30 minutes, from 5.15am to 11pm (see www.sadem.it). The journey takes 40 minutes and costs €5.
Train: Trains run directly into Dora station from the airport. The service departs every 30 minutes (see www.gtt.to.it) and takes 40 minutes. Tickets cost €3.
Taxi: A taxi to the city centre takes about 30 minutes and costs €35.
Tourist information: The city’s main tourist office is at the Atrium, Piazza Solferino (tel. 011 535181, www.turismotorino.org).
LA CROCETTA
Named after its tiny local church, this
is a fashionable part of town, with its
‘liberty’ architecture (an Italian take on
art nouveau) and well-groomed locals.
Culture vultures – The Galleria Civica
d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (31
Via Magenta) adds to the quarter’s arty
ambiance and features frequently
changing exhibitions and a permanent
collection. This month’s Cronostasi
show is an intriguing comparison of
cinema and stills photography.
Must eat – Testa (56 Corso Re
Umberto, tel. 011 599775) is Turin’s most
celebrated ice cream parlour and it gets
packed, even in the depths of winter. Try
the hot chocolate with whipped cream.
Caffè Ristorante Platti (72 Corso
Vittorio Emanuele II, tel. 011 506 9056)
is a grand old charmer dating from the
1870s, with marble tables, huge mirrors
and impeccable service. If the chocolatedipped
hazelnuts don’t get you, the
house cakes most certainly will.
Shop til you drop – One of Turin’s
best chocolate shops can be found at
Pfatish (42 Via Sacchi), which traces its
roots back to the legendary chocolate
producers Ferraris. It’s closed Sunday
afternoons and Mondays, though. A
sister shop, Peyrano-Pfatish (76 Corso
Vittorio Emanuele II) is nearby.
QUADRILATERO ROMANO
A small network of bars and cafés
spills over onto cobbled streets and
public spaces just off Via Garibaldi.
Culture vultures – Christmas lights
tend to be taken very seriously in Turin,
with acclaimed contemporary artists
invited to design the city’s festive focal
point. The Torino Triennal runs until
February and includes exhibitions and
projects by some 50 artists, spread
across the city centre (torinotriennale.it).
Must eat – Pastis (9 Piazza Emanuele
Filiberto, tel. 011 521 1085) is a fine
Gallic-infused trattoria, serving up
hearty Piedmont classics to a chatty
cross-section of Turin’s cultural crowd.
La Montagna in Vetrina (3a Piazza
Emanuele Filiberto, tel. 011 521 7882)
has a more relaxed air, with a deli-type
menu and accompanying shop.
PORTA NUOVA
Hanging around
railway stations for
too long is rarely to
be recommended,
but the area immediately surrounding Turin’s main
rail hub does have plenty to offer and
is a good spot to find a hotel.
Sleep soundly – L’Art Hotel Boston is a sleek designer number
complete with Warhols hanging on the
walls. The Grand Hotel Sitea is a traditional cosy
bolt-hole that’s nice and central.
Shop til you drop – Foodies should
make a beeline for Baudracco (62
Corso Vittorio Emanuele II), with its
enticing window display of homemade
goodies and a large wine selection.
Zanaboni (41 Corso Vittorio Emanuele
II) is an excellent bookshop, big on
specialist design titles.
IL BALON
Even if you’re not in the city at the
weekend, and so can’t make a visit to
Turin’s famous street market, the
Balon area is still worth a detour. It’s
got loads of its antique and secondhand
shops, some the size of small
galleries, others huge warehouses.
Must eat – La Rusnenta (11 Via Andreis
Vittorio, tel. 011 436 2980) is tucked
away on the second floor of a townhouse,
but it’s well worth seeking out for its
excellent pasta and very moreish
puddings. Trattoria Valenza (39 Via
Borgo Dora, tel. 011 521 3914) is one of
the city’s best restaurants, an old-school
trattoria serving meaty Torinesi fare.
Shop til you drop – Il Balon
(balon.it) stages two markets: a weekly
flea market, which takes place every
Saturday, and a larger antiques
market, on the second
Sunday of every
month. Both are
spread out along
the streets around
Via Borgo Dora.
Compiled by Matt Barker
Previous issues for Turin
Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, please confirm event/venue details in advance.
