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Italy : Turin - February 2008

Country Code: Dial for Italy

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. , www.turismotorino.org).

VIA PO AND VIA MONTEBELLO

Between the bucolic banks of the river Po and the grand Piazza Castello, these atmospheric arcaded streets are filled with bookstalls, cafés and shops.

Culture vultures – Gaze up at the ice-cream cone roof of the retro-futuristic symbol of the city, the Mole Antonelliana, which houses the Museo Nazionale del Cinema (20 Via Montebello). There’s a stylish café and a huge atrium inside.

Must drink – Caffe degli Stemmi (35/b Via Po) is next to Italy’s first movie theatre and is filled with cinematic artefacts. Sip Vermouth, Barolo or superb beer alla spina (on tap) accompanied by a huge platter of savoury treats. They also do classic Piedmontese dishes.

Dance the night away – Xò Cafè (46 Via Po) has every sound covered, from live reggae to techno, indie and cheesy 80s hits.

Shop til you drop – Duck down Via Montebello and leaf through rare movie posters, antiquarian prints and comics at Little Nemo (2/d Via Montebello).

PIAZZA SAN CARLO

Punctuate a shopping stroll down Via Roma by spending time in and around this beguiling square, flanked by twin churches San Carlo and Santa Cristina.

Sleep soundly – The Principi di Piemonte (15 Via Gobetti, , atahotels.it, rooms from €190) mixes art deco style with modern comforts. Le Petit Hotel (21 Via San Francesco d’Assisi, , lepetithotel.it, rooms from €99) is architecturally less bombastic and good value for money.

Culture vultures – The Museo Egizio (6 Via Accademia delle Scienze) holds the second most important collection of Egyptian artefacts in Europe. The Galleria Sabauda upstairs has dozens of Van Dycks, Eyks and Rembandts, amassed by the House of Savoy.

Must drink – It’s hard to imagine Caffe San Carlo (156 Piazza San Carlo) as a hot bed of revolutionary ideas. Soak up the atmosphere of this Turin institution and order the Bicerin combo of espresso, chocolate and milk. Cavour, Dumas and Gramisci all warmed their radical cockles with this comfort drink here.

Shop til you drop – Stratta (191 Piazza San Carlo) specialises in chocolate spiked with spices, like cardamom and cinnamon. Pick up some crystallised rose petals here.

LINGOTTO

The vast Fiat car factory, with its iconic rooftop racetrack, gives its name to this regenerated district. The building was later transformed by architect Renzo Piano.

Sleep soundly – Contemporary cool and minimalist design make converted pasta factory AC Torino (11 Via Bisalta, , ac-hotels.com, rooms from €140) an intriguing place to stay.

OUT OF TOWN: CASTELLO DI RIVOLI

Catch the regular shuttle bus to this former hunting lodge of the Savoy royal family, 20km west of central Turin.

Culture vultures – Italy’s most bizarre contemporary art gallery, the Museo di Arte Contemporanea (Piazza Mafalda di Savoia, Castello di Rivoli) sits amid the skeletal remains of medieval walls and Juvarra’s sprawling 18th-century castle. Check out works by Bruce Naumann and the mischievous Maurizio Cattelan while slipping “juxtaposition” into every other sentence.

Must eat – Cast off any preconceived notions of conventional cuisine and dining etiquette at Combal Zero (Piazza Mafalda di Savoia, tel. ), situated within the castle grounds.

Compiled by Nick Bruno