Art and architecture on your Turin citytrip

Galleries Turin

If you’ve never visited Torino (Turin) in Italy, what do you think it’s like? The architecture, hot spots, weather, any idea? Perhaps you expect it to be ugly or dull. Honestly, so did we. But Torino has grand palazzi, beautiful squares, and one of the largest museums on the history of Italy. And the food…

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Citytrip to Turin

We flew to Turin for a three-day stay. That’s enough for a good look around. It’s an open-air museum, really. The historical city center is a maze of baroque and neoclassical palazzi, buildings, locked together by impressive squares. All the main streets have galleries, marked with arcs and shops. Great to shelter from the powerful sun and adding to the cityscape.

Turin is great for just wandering. There are the parks along the river Po, where Italians show off in their canoes. The highlights are the Royal Palace, both inside and out. It still has an intact historical library to die for and the royal armory museum featuring harnesses. Impressive.

Viewpoint: Mole Antonelliana

Then there’s the Mole Antonelliana, the massive tower marking the city. Once built as a synagogue it now houses the Italian cinema museum. That’s because the first ever film show in Italy took place here in Turin. If you take the elevator it takes you right through the middle of the museum. It offers you a glimpse of it in a few seconds. It also shows you the dazzling inside of the gigantic tower and drops you off at great heights. From here you have a smashing view of Turin and, if you’re lucky with the weather, the snowy mountains around it.

The aperitivo

Ah and did I mention the food? Turin is a great place to discover the aperitivo. This pre-dinner concept lets you have a drink, typically a cocktail like Spritz Aperol. You pay for the drink you choose and get access to a buffet, included in the price. It’s roughly between 7 and 9 pm, after which Italians still have dinner. An absolute tip in this category is the historical restaurant del Cambio. Enter the farmacy and ask for the aperitivo. You get a couple of amazing snacks and a seat right in front of a big window through which you can see the kitchen and the busy cooks for the accompanying restaurant. By the way, they have a very creative website, check it out: Del Cambio.

By the way, it’s right in front of the national museum. The most amazing building of Torino and the most important museum of  the Italian nation. It has a huge collection of documents, paintings, artifacts and more showing how Italy became nation as late as 1861.

All in all, Torino has a lot to offer for a city trip. And the best part? It’s not as crowded with tourism yet, so grab the opportunity while you still can!

Read more about the Mole Antonelliana

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