Turin

January 2013 | Words Donald Strachan

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Culture

Palazzini delle Belle Arti

Until 27 January, the Palazzini delle Belle Arti has a major exhibition of works by Edgar Degas. It includes many of his Impressionist paintings from Paris’s Musée d’Orsay, including iconic studies of Parisian ballerinas.

Borgo Medievale

Afterwards, explore the Borgo Medievale, a kitsch but still magical re-imagining of a Piedmontese medieval village that was built for an 1884 expo.

Museo Egizio

The wonderful Museo Egizio houses the best collection of Egyptian relics outside Cairo – some 6,500 antiquities, including hieroglyphs, tombs, mummies, basalt statues and sarcophagi.
Eat

Tre Galline

Tre Galline is virtually the headquarters of la cucina piemontese. It’s the place to try tastes of old Turin such as bagna cauda (crunchy raw vegetables that you dip into a terracotta ‘bath’ of olive oil, garlic and anchovies), washed down with an extensive local wine list.
Tip

Turin Eye

Opened in 2012, the Turin Eye is Turin’s latest bird’s-eye viewing point. The 20-minute ascent in a fixed balloon takes you up 150m for a panorama over the city and as far as the snow-white Alps that spike the horizon.
Sleep

NH Santo Stefano

The NH Santo Stefano (rooms from €167) has contemporary yet warm rooms, nestled in Turin’s oldest quarter. Everything in the centre is within an easy walk of the front door.

Hotel Piemontese

An easy walk from both the station and the park, Hotel Piemontese (rooms from €71) is set inside a Liberty-style building. Even the cheapest rooms are cosy and comfortable, and there’s free Wi-Fi throughout.
Shop

Balon

Turin’s busiest street markets are held in this part of the city. On Saturdays, the weekly Balon is bric-abrac heaven, while the monthly Gran Balon has more serious small antiques.
Later

Juda Fire

Head to the Quadrilatero Romano after dark. At Juda Fire () you’ll find €5 cocktails and an aperitivo buffet stacked nightly from 7pm.

Basso 30

Nearby Basso 30 is another lively place for pre-dinner drinks and nibbles, or a nightcap.

Piazza San Carlo

Piazza San Carlo has been nicknamed the salotto d’Italia, and its cafes are still the place to sip a vermouth – an aperitif that was invented in Turin in the 1700s.

Caffè San Carlo

Slide on to a plush red banquette in the splendidly gilded interior of Caffè San Carlo, where reform and revolution were plotted in the 1800s.