My Top 10 Reasons to Visit Turin

If you have been lucky enough to visit Italy, it’s likely that you have already visited Rome, Venice, and Florence. Say that you decide to come back though. Where should you go next? In my opinion, I think you should consider Turin. It’s a beautiful city that has a lot to offer. Picture France and Italy having a baby! While there are many reasons to visit the city, below I give you my top 10 reasons to visit Turin.

Recently, my cousin Vanessa visited my family and me for the 5th time since we moved to Italy. (I think it’s safe to say that she’s as addicted to Italy as I am.) She wanted to go someplace new and I suggested Turin. My husband graciously stayed at home with our daughter to allow us to have a girl weekend. Yippee! Being without a child in tow allowed us to cover a good amount of ground, stay out later and meander comfortably. It was a blast. (Please note that it’s a great place to bring children as well!)

Turin is a wonderful city with enough sites and activities to please everyone. Like to shop? Check. Like museums? Check. Love good food? Check! Love history? Check. This was my third trip to Turin and it only solidified my already high opinion of the city. It’s a place that I felt comfortable in and was charmed by immediately and that impression hasn’t changed. If I didn’t love Bologna so much, I could easily consider living there.

As I mentioned, there are many reasons to visit Turin but I’m giving my personal top 10 reasons, based on my experiences and priorities (think food…). Here we go!

My Top 10 Reasons to Visit Turin:

1. Historic Cafés

While grabbing a coffee in a bar is a ritual experienced throughout the country, I can hardly think of a place that has this many historic and stunning spots to grab one! We are talking about sumptuous cafés from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, all uniquely designed and different from one another. While Rome, Venice, Naples, and Trieste among many other cities have at least a couple of historic places to have a coffee and pastry in an elegant setting, I don’t believe any has as many as Turin. It really is remarkable.

If you are only in Turin a couple of days, these cafés are conveniently close enough to each other, in the center of town for you to visit most of them if not all. Even if you don’t buy anything you can at least soak in the gorgeousness and obnoxiously take as many pictures as they’ll allow… Not only will you have access to good coffee but heavenly pastries are available and beautifully displayed. You can also buy elegantly packaged pastries and chocolates for gifts. These are the cafés I’ve visited and enjoyed:

Caffè San Carlo
Caffè Torino
Caffè Al Bicerin
Caffè Mulassano
Caffè Fiorio
Caffè Baratti & Milano
Stratta
Bar Plattí

Before you visit the city, be sure to research what specific pastries are from the area. There are many and you will want to sample them. If you like cookies and pastries, you’ll be very happy here. What’s wonderful is that you can go to these bars for breakfast, a snack or for an aperitivo. Yumminess all day long! Take a look at my post on eating and dining out in Italy here to assist you in your research.

2. Bicerin

What is a Bicerin? Well, it is a scrumptious beverage created at the Caffè al Bicerin, open since 1736. This incredible concoction is a hot drink that has a layer of espresso on the bottom, a layer of chocolate in the middle, and lastly a layer of milk foam on top. It’s heavenly. When you order it at its place of origin, they expressly say to not mix the layers, but drink it as is. The chocolate and coffee layers are hot, the milk foam is not. The consistency of all three layers is just right so that each layer melds together perfectly with each sip.

Due to the brilliance of the confection, it’s now available all over the city. However, after much research over my three visits to Turin, my preference is for the original. It’s not too sweet or over the top. It’s simple. At other locations, they use thick whipped cream, which, even though delicious, becomes too thick to meld with the other layers. You end up with whipped cream all over your face and you have to eat it with a spoon instead of drinking all three layers and flavors together. It doesn’t work for me. If you do visit the city, by all means, do your own research and see what you prefer! What a great way to spend a vacation – guzzling coffee and chocolate. You’re welcome. Just make sure to visit the original spot if you don’t make it anywhere else.

3. The Porta Palazzo Market

Ah, the Porta Palazzo Market! If you follow me on Instagram, then you already know my sentiments about this market. If you don’t, then let me tell you that it’s a wonderland for cooks and foodies. The Porta Palazzo market is the largest food market in Europe. It has everything. Glorious produce, nuts, cheeses, cured meats, fresh meat of every kind, fish, cookware, baked goods and much more. It also has clothes, housewares, and many other items. Even if you don’t plan to cook on your trip, it’s worth a visit. You can buy food products from all over Italy. Also, due to the huge southern Italian population in Turin, you can find many obscure ingredients from places like Sicily, Calabria, and Puglia. My cousin found some items from Calabria, where our dads were born and she got some great gifts to take home to our family. Score!

What it’s not is charming. I say this because after I got back from Turin I looked up some reviews of the market and was so surprised to see some bad ones. People expressed that they thought it was dangerous and that they were overwhelmed. It shocked me. It is a bustling place. Personally, I liked the frenetic energy you find in the outside stalls of the market but maybe it’s not for everyone. There are stalls selling cheap socks and clothes, fake bags and the like but I don’t see how that makes the market unpalatable. As I stated, it’s huge, so will have something for everyone I believe. I found the vendors to be very nice and helpful.

Fresh, local cheese…

If you work your way through the market, there is a section that only has local cheeses and produce which is wonderful. You will see different varieties of produce that aren’t necessarily available out of the area. BTW, the local cheeses are extraordinary. I found the quality of everything in that section to be incredibly high.

Please note, if you go, there is a wine shop across the street from the market called Damarco. It is definitely worth a visit. You can get some wine and grappa to bring back home. Their selection is huge and it’s an adorable spot.

4. The Local Cuisine

I could frankly write a whole post on the cuisine of Turin and Piedmont. For the sake of this article though I just want to highlight a few dishes and state that the cuisine and quality of the food is a very compelling reason to consider visiting Turin. Regional cuisine in Italy is so very different from one place to the next. You will find things here that you can’t get anywhere else. Consider such dishes as:

Brasato al Barolo – beef braised in the local Barolo wine.
Vitel Tonnè – a dish of poached veal in a tuna sauce prepared in a slightly different manner than in other parts of Italy.
Bagna Cauda – this is a classic Piemontese dish that isn’t exactly from Turin but is available there in some locations. It’s a fall dish consisting of a dipping sauce of slow-cooked garlic, anchovy and extra virgin olive oil, served with a variety of seasonal vegetables. It doesn’t sound like much but it’s amazing. Trust me. It’s fun to eat in a group. Note: Frequently you need to order it in advance. Please try my recipe for this heavenly dish.
Tajarin – A local fresh pasta shape that is similar to tagliolini but has a richer dough, full of egg yolks. It’s a silky fresh egg pasta that’s frequently served with fresh white truffles from Alba when they are in season.
Agnolotti and Agnolotti del Plin – These are two stuffed pastas from the area. Agnolotti look like ravioli and are generally prepared with a mixed meat and vegetable filling and a sauce consisting of the juices from cooking the meat. The same goes for Agnolotti del Plin but the shape is different. They are downright cute. Both are scrumptious.

For dessert consider:

Panna Cotta – This classic custard dessert is from Piedmont and it’s heavenly.
Bonet – Another un-molded pudding-like dessert with chocolate, rum, and amaretti cookies, covered in a caramel sauce.

Although I could go on, that should be enough to tempt you! Besides specific dishes, keep in mind that there are many cherished ingredients and products from the area such as hazelnuts, and white truffles from Alba. If you go in the fall, you will see truffles on menus everywhere.

There are many attractive and stylish restaurants to choose from. Some of my favorites are Scannabue, Tre Galli, Tre Galline, Da Cianci Piola Caffè, dai Saletta, and Le Vitel Étonné.

5. The Wine

If you are a wine lover you don’t need me to tell you that there is stupendous wine in Piedmont. If you’re not an expert – FYI, there is stupendous wine in Piedmont, particularly red wine. No matter your budget you will have access to wonderful wine. Frankly, the house wines are so good that you shouldn’t feel compelled to buy a bottle of wine with your meal unless you want to.

If you look up Piedmont wines in Wikipedia, you can read about the 42 DOC (controlled designation of origin) wines and 17 DOCG (controlled and guaranteed designation of origin) wines available. Turin is a must for wine lovers. If you stay long enough you can probably take an easy day trip from the city to a vineyard.

6. Chocolate

Years ago I read in one of my cookbooks that Piedmont has more master chocolatiers than France and Belgium put together. Who knew? That was a big surprise. Italian chocolate doesn’t have the reputation of the other countries but, boy, does it deserve it! There is some stunning, high-quality chocolate to be had in Italy and much of it is in Piedmont. Are you tempted to go to Turin yet? Coffee, wine, good food, AND chocolate? Come on! You definitely can’t leave the city without trying some gianduiotti which are delectable, creamy, cocoa and hazelnut chocolates.

There are many chocolate shops in the city and one of my favorites in Guido Gobino. You can buy wonderful gifts or sit in the back and have a hot chocolate and relax for a bit. Most of the bars/cafés that I mentioned above all have chocolate as well, so you won’t need to hunt for it. I unfortunately haven’t been to every chocolate shop in the city, so only want to provide the names of places I’ve been.

Also, when you buy chocolate in Italy as a whole, read the ingredients list. This is some of the purest chocolate you’ll see in the world. Half of the time, the high-end brands only use cocoa mass and sugar. That’s it. Sometimes you’ll see vanilla added. Italian standards for chocolate can be incredibly high so search out the less industrial brands and bring some home! A lot of it is not available outside of Italy.

7. Aperitivo/Apericena

Going out for an aperitivo (meaning a cocktail before dinner) is one of Italy’s greatest pleasures. (And one that I’ve adopted wholeheartedly!) You finish work, go for a spritz or a glass of wine and relax a bit at the end of the day with your family and friends. Maybe if you’re lucky, some nibbles will be served. In Turin however, there are many bars that have large buffets that are available and included with the price of your cocktail. It’s called apericena (cena meaning dinner). Usually available from the hours of 6:00-9:00 PM or so, this can be dinner for those on a budget. Most of the cafès listed above do this as do many other bars throughout the city. Look around and see what attracts you. It’s also fun to hop from one place to the next. Make an evening of it!

If the subject of the Italian aperitivo attracts and interests you, there are books and cookbooks available on the subject. Aperitivo by Marisa Huff is a nice choice. She has a whole chapter on Turin.

8. Large Piazzas and Elegant Architecture

I will spare you from more talk of food and wine. At least in this post… One of the other things that I simply adore about the city is the look of it. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Architecturally, it’s elegant and grand. There are many times that I’ve felt as if I were in Paris. Much of the architecture is Baroque, thanks to the House of Savoy, the royal family that had a huge impact on the city in the 17th and 18th centuries. There are palaces, porticoes, many huge and opulent piazzas, beautiful window displays and I can think of nothing better than allotting time on your stay, simply to walk around and soak in all of the astounding beauty.

9. Great Museums and Sites

If you get a guide book on the city, you will read about all of the numerous sites and museums available in Turin. There are far too many sites of interest to mention them all but, personally, I would recommend the Mole Antonelliana which contains The National Museum of Cinema and an elevator that will take you up to the top of the building, giving you a glorious view of the city, The Palazzo Reale, and the Egyptian Museum. A little outside of town, is a really cool car museum with some real stunners. For sports fans, you may want to schedule in a soccer match and support the local team, Juventus.

10. Less Touristy = More Pleasant

Lastly, even though there is tourism in Turin (and it’s on the rise), it’s not unpleasantly swamped like it often is in places like Venice and Florence. Half of the time, the tourists I see are Italian. I’ve never had any moment of peace and calm shattered by the simultaneous arrival of three tour buses disgorging masses of people. It really makes the experience so much more enjoyable. At museums, you can actually see what you’re looking at. You can take leisurely walks. It’s lovely.

Turin is a thriving city however, so I don’t want to give the impression that it’s empty. You will need to make restaurant reservations in advance. You might want to consider booking tickets ahead online and do all of the normal planning that you would do for any trip. If you do visit, I’m sure you’ll be as enchanted as I am.

Please tell me about your impressions of the city. I’d love to hear from you. Happy travels!