Turin, Italy
01 THINGS TO DO
02 GELATO
03 WHERE TO EAT
04 DRINKS
05 NIGHT LIFE
06 WHERE TO STAY
07 HOW TO GET THERE
Most people won’t know anything about this city. Turin or Torino has been home for the past three years (2016 - 2019). While sometimes it gets a little boring, like most cities we call home. You get a completely different feeling here than you do in all other parts of Italy. Turin was known as a business city and the car capital of Italy. No one really got out of this mindset. Torinese (people from Turin) described as sweet people on the inside with almost unbreakable outer shells.
Turin used to be the capital of Italy until 1864 when it moved to Florence followed by Rome. In the past year or so more foreigners have moved to the city but still, it is hard to find people who speak English.
My favorite thing to do is walk around. There are so many piazzas around and always an event going on in them on the weekend. Sundays are for walking. If you are looking to get something done, you won’t. Everything is closed except for gelateria and some shops in the center.
01 THINGS TO DO
Free
Wine in the park - When the weather is good the best thing to do is go drink in the parks. Around Turin, there are a lot, and they are always full on the weekend with people. You can bring a bottle of wine to share with friends or buy beer from people walking around selling it (this cost a lot more).
Parks:
Behind the big tower. It's not as crowded.
Parco Valentino - Close to the river. It is beautiful but a lot of people.
Across river Po - There areas are more shaded but really nice. Not many people.
Walk the river line - (don’t go swimming the water is polluted).
Piazza Castello - Always little events going on here.
Monte Cappuccini - A church on the opposite side of the river where you can see all of Turin. Most photos of the city are from this point.
Porto Palazzo - Open market for food and everything you could ever need.
Not so free
Car Museum - A lot of history here.
Chocolate Tour - “The first chocolate candy, "cioccolattino," was made in Turin in the mid 1800s”. They take you through the city to famous places and you sample a couple of pieces. If you want you can also just go to any chocolate store and buy a couple different pieces. It is be a lot cheaper.
La Mole - You can go to the top in a see-through elevator that shows you the cinema museum. At the top, you can see all of Turin. The superstition is that if you go to the top before you finish Uni. You won’t graduate.
02 GELATO
Mosa Gelateria - My favorite place in the city! It isn’t exactly convenient to get to but if you are in the area you have try it. It is a lot cheaper than anywhere else in the city and the flavors are fantastic. People drive from all over to go here. However, it is almost always empty because they take it to go.
La Romana - The most famous gelateria in Turin. They will put chocolate in the bottom of your cone and the flavors are amazing. Only a few choices for lactose intolerant.
03 WHERE TO EAT
Le Ramine - Incredibly good. Everything is done right. I suggest getting the set menu so you can try many things.
Mille - Fantastic food! Small place with well-thought-out plates. Really great service as well.
Manhattan - An underground kind of place. Out in the middle of nowhere, this is one of the coolest places in Turin. You can get pizza the size of a table. Everything comes in bulk so go with friends.
Gusti Sani - Great Piedmont food. If you want to go here make reservations because it is always full.
Casaslurp - You eat underground but its really beautiful with good food and nice wine.
Kipling - A great restaurant, sometimes. If you get a good waiter otherwise they will give you the wrong food and be incredibly rude. If you get a good waiter, it will be an amazing experience.
04 DRINKS
Really fun and exotic drinks.
Coffee
Café Al Bicerin - Famous drink, Bicerin. It is normally pretty packed to get in. The café is a little outside the center.
Caffè Mulassano - A cool café right in Piazza Castelo. It is the bar in the film The Italian Job. Expensive but a beautiful setting.
Alcoholic
Central - My favorite drink has peanut butter in it. That's how wild this place is! All their drinks are great and really exotic.
Smile Tree - It is a little far from the center in a random place but that's part of the charm. They have a lot of smokey drinks. Like from a fairy tail. The presentation is really well thought out.
05 NIGHT LIFE
Piazza Vittorio - Where all the Italians go for a night out. Everyone gathers in the piazza to drink and talk with friends. There are bars surrounding the whole area. A great place for aperitivo. (Aperitivo is where you get drinks and snacks. In this area the snacks are all you can eat).
San Salvario - It is an area close to the train station. Most people don’t find it very safe because there are people selling drugs and everyone is really drunk. I have never had any problems. In fact, I find it quite fun because everyone drinks the streets and it makes it easier to meet people. It isn’t as snobby as Piazza Vittorio.
Jumping Jester - is a common bar where all the foreigners go. They have good discounts for students. Nothing special.
06 WHERE TO STAY
Il Ballatoio - Our favorite Airbnb. My family stays here when they come to visit.
07 HOW TO GET THERE
It is one of the bigger cities in Northern Italy, so it is reasonably easy to get to.
Bus - from a lot of different places. Look at Flixbus.
Trains - A lot of trains go through here to the sea, mountains, and other bigger cities like Milan.
Plane - There is a small airport here with a bus into the center of Turin. It is not always the cheapest so look at flights to Milan because there is a bus right to Turin called Sedem.