Turin

Italy

Things to do in Turin:

View the Gallery Savoiard Dinasty at Venaria Reale

Turin Restaurants

Cheap (45)

Soup & Go

You can feel utterly smug about eating in this quirky caf�, thanks to the �ber-healthy and natural soups, salads and pies. There are gluten-free and vegan menus, too - a rarity in these parts. read more
Affordable (46)

Aumm Aumm

Naples' best ingredients are thrown together at Aumm Aumm and the result is a range of delicious pizzas offering diners an authentic taste of southern Italy. You'll find it on a small street just... read more
Good quality (44)

Samoa

Tapas and paella are served up in this great Spanish joint. If you want to push the boat out a little, try the parillada de pescado y marisco, a mixed platter of grilled seafood - it's renowned in... read more

Turin Nightlife

Chilled (44)

Cento90due

This is where the trendy types come for an aperitif on the lovely terrace. Happy-hour drinks from 7pm are often accompanied by hot and cold entr�es. read more
Live Music (41)

Pronto Soccorso Degli Artisti

This old taverna perches on the banks of the River Po. The interiors are of exposed brick and wooden furniture, which resonate rhythm and blues sounds from Thursday-Sunday. read more
Clubbing (41)

JB Home

The Piedmontese Menabrea beer flows from the taps of this new three-floor venue. Sushi is also available if you want to make a night of it. read more

This Month in Turin (March):

By Elena Pietrovichillo

Shopping: In 1852 Paul Caffarel invented Gianduiotto hazelnut chocolate in the shape of a boat. His family still sell his delicious creation in the Caffarel store - only they've taken his idea and run with it... (1C Corso Fiume, tel: 011 660 4370).

Sightseeing: The World Figure Skating Championships come to Palavela, Turin, this year. For just six days (22-28 March), you can see Dancing on Ice as it's supposed to look (torino2010.org).

Key areas: Lying between Via Giuseppe Garibaldi and Via Giulio, the Quadrilatero Romano was the Roman heart of the city. Today it is the city's fashion district. By day it's frequented by busy shoppers foraying into expensive boutiques, while by night, it's full of trendy locals moving from one buzzing bar to the next.

Day trips: Candia Canavese is an ancient village surrounded by hills and woods. Visit the Roman and medieval churches, the castle and tower of Castiglione. There's also a lake, which at this time of year will be filled with beautiful water lilies. The train journey takes 50 minutes.

Turin News & Gossip

Battle of the Oranges, Turin

13-16 FEBRUARY
TURIN

Carnival is a time when many curious traditions are played out across Europe. One of the most quirky of these has to be the Battaglia delle Arance (Battle of the Oranges), which draws thousands each year to the Italian town of Ivrea. Alessio Pozzo (42) has been participating in the event for a quarter of a century. "The feeling is like being in a huge carton of orange juice," he says.

Alessio is one of the 5,000 people who, during the four days of carnival madness, hurl oranges at masked teams that ride around the town in horse-drawn chariots. The present tradition of orange throwing dates back to the 19th century, and represents the peasantry (on foot) rising up against the aristocrats (riding chariots).

"The event is symbolic of our freedom and the discovery of our personal identity," says mayor Carlo della Pepa.

Spectators will certainly come away from the event in no doubt about how passionately the battle is fought. carnevalediivrea.it Blake Evans-Pritchard and Violetta Polese

Turin Trivia

March: In 1894 Luigi Lavazza started to roast his own coffee in his grocery in Turin, experimenting with different blends. Today, the espresso is sold in 90 countries around the world.
February: The Holy Shroud could possibly be the most-viewed piece of linen of all time - in 2000 more than 1,000,000 pilgrims came to see it and even more are expected to come this year on 10 April-23 May.
January: At the beginning of the 20th century, Turin was the Hollywood of Italy - dozens of studios opened on the banks of the River Po, and Italian blockbuster Cabiria was shot here.