Travel Guide TURIN.

The eyes of the world will be on Turin in February. That’s when the opening of the Winter Olympics will take place with Italian splendour. Everything has been cleaned and refurbished to receive the ice hockey players, the slalom enthusiasts, the ice dancers and the snowboarders.
In Turin the food is good and the drink is even better. Under the arcades in the city centre are countless wine bars, grandiose continental cafés and luxurious shopping streets. Turin is also Fiat, Juventus and Italian film - a fascinating metropolis where the future is being created!

EvENT hIghlIghTs
APRIL
14th suzuki Method World Convention
12-17 April Concerts and conferences present this method which teaches music through the use of intuition.
www.14suzukiworldconvention.net/index.html
Turin: The 2006 World Book Capital
22-23 April Turin hosts special events and shows at cafes, historic haunts and the new Olympic buildings.
www.turinromeworldbookcapital.it
MAY
Courts and Cities – 15th Century Art of the Western Alps
To 14 May This show displays fine examples of artwork from the former Savoy states.
www.palazzomadamatorino.it
Die Zauberflöte
27 May See, listen and enjoy one of the most famous operas by W.A. Mozart.
www.teatrosuperga.it
Turin at Work
To 2 June Turin’s transformation to an industrial city after the Second World War is exhibited.
www.torinocultura.it
JUNE
Everyday life in Ancient Egypt
To 30 June Investigate the artwork and daily items of the ancient Egyptians.
www.museoegizio.org
ThE CITy
Turin is located considerably closer to Switzerland than to Rome. This fact permeates the city and is revealed in the city centre and the solid turn of the century districts. Turin has its roots in the industrialisation of the 20th century and the struggle for democracy and progress. Here people arrive on time and park correctly. You eat well – but only after a long day’s work. The Romans founded the legionnaires camp Augusta Taurinorum. Quadrilatero Romano is still the city centre, but little survives from classical antiquity. Instead the historic monuments date from the 17th and 18th centuries, erected by the kings of Savoy who ruled the region at that time. The struggle for a united Italy started in Piemonte and Turin was the country’s first capital city, 1861-65. This became a driving force in the creation of an industrial metropolis in Northern Italy, where for a long time Fiat constituted the engine. But Turin lives in the present day and is looking to the future for its identity. The Winter Olympics, the food fairs, Slow Food – all of this is part of the image of the new Turin.
DO & sEE
The Film Museum -Museo Nazionale del Cinema
Italian film was born in Turin and this is where the country’s exciting film museum is located, in a tall brick building with a magnificent view. Fellini, Visconti, Antonioni, Rosselini… A good café.
Price: 5.20 euros. 6.80 euros with a terrace view. Address: Via Montebello 20 Tel: 011 812 56 68 www.museonazionaledelcinema.org
Palazzo Reale
Royal palace, 1646-1861, with magnificent objects from the baroque and rococo periods. Peaceful garden.
Price: 6.50 euros. Address: Piazetta Reale Tel: 011 436 14 55 www.ambienteto.arti.beniculturali.it


Basilica di superga
Church from the 18th century with graves of popes and a football museum (!). This is in memory of an airplane which crashed with players from A C Turin onboard. Fantastic view of the city. Bus, mountain railway or long-distance footpath up.
Address: Strada della Basilica di Superga Tel: 011 899 74 56 Entrance: 5 euros.

EATINg

Porto di savona
Classic restaurant in an older style. Specialities from Piemonte.
Address: Piazza Vittorio Veneto 2 www.portodisavona.com
Ristorante Combal Zero
Turin’s only restaurant with a Michelin star. Beautiful location at the art museum, with the mountains in the background. In the suburb of Rivoli.
Address: Palazzo Mafalda di Savoia, Rivoli. Tel: 011 956 52 25 www.combal.org
Tre galli
Well-known restaurant and wine bar in Quadrilatero Romano. New Italian cuisine, guests in early middle age.
Address: Via Sant'Agostino, 25 www.3galli.com
le vitel étonné
Charming restaurant run by Christina and Louisa. Wine bar in the cellar with the region’s excellent red wines; drunk with cheese, pear sauce and grissini.
Address: Via San Francesco da Paola 4 www.leviteletonne.com
Arcadia
Interesting restaurant which is chiefly known for its Japanese dishes.
Address: Galleria Subalpina, Piazza Castello.www.ristorantearcadia.com Closed on Sundays.

CAFés
Caffé Neuv Caval de Brons
Impressive café where you can feel the pulse of Turin. Restaurant with a lot of unusual dishes. On the guest list: Ingrid Bergman, Orson Welles, King Leopold II of Belgium…
Address: Piazza San Carlo 155 www.cavaldbrons.it
Caffé Fiorio
In the19th century it was a meeting place for the aristocracy, civil servants and intellectuals. The elegance remains in the inner rooms.
Address: Via Po 8. www.fioriocaffegelateria.com
Caffé Al Bicerin
Warm and elegant mini-café, opened in 1763. Eight marble tables, mirrors and sweets. The recipe for the bicerin drink is still secret.
Address: Piazza della Consolata 5 www.bicerin.it
BARs & NIghTlIFE
The theatres and bars are located around the Piazza San Carlo. There is intense nightlife in the Murazzi district, down by the River Po. There is an abundance of popular places here, in summertime people sit outside. Several large clubs have sprung up in the old industrial area, Docks Dora.
iroshima Mon Amour
Well-known live venue and dance hall on two floors. Started in 1986. Patti Smith, Kraftwerk, Sinéad O’Connor, Astor Piazzola, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan have performed here.
Address: Via Bossoli 83 Tel: 011 317 66 36 www.hiroshimamonamour.org
Café Blue
A factory premises which has become a dance temple. Trendy young Turinese occupy the cavernous spaces. Open: 23 - morning.
Address: Via Valprato 68, Docks Dora. There are more clubs at the same address. www.cafeblue.it
Matilda Fashion
Sixties inspired meeting place for fashion conscious hunters of both sexes. Interesting music. Admission.
Address: Corso Massimo d´Azeglio Open from 21. Entrance 8-12 euros. www.matildafashion.com


Birrificio Torino
Good atmosphere and unfiltered beer. A micro brewery which was revived five years ago. Brick walls and dark wood.
Address: Via Parma 30 www.birrificiotorino.com

shOPPINg
In the Quadrilatera Romani shopping is inviting thanks to the many arcades which offer protection against the heat, rain, wind and snow. The best shops and a number of continental cafés are to be found under the arcades.
The shopping street with all the Italian designer brands is called Via Roma. The department stores on the parallel street, Via Lagrange, also offer Italian luxury, though the range is more varied.
Via Garibaldi, the pedestrianised street, has a large range of youth oriented fashion clothes. This is also where you’ll find the Juventus football club shop with pictures of Zlatan. In the side streets there are congenial small shops with unusual bits and pieces. Antiquities are on Via Maria Vittoria, the street for books is called Via Po.
The Porta Palazzo market calls itself ”the biggest in the world” and starts at Piazza della Repubblica. You can easily spend an hour at the food stalls or looking for bargains from the 1920s or the 1930s at the bric-abrac market. On Saturdays there is a large flea market called Il Balon. Regional wines are sold direct by the producers on the medieval square Piazza Palazzo di Giotta.
EssENTIAl INFORMATION
Airport
The Sandro Pertini international airport is located in Torino Caselle, 16 km from the city centre. www.aeroportoditorino.it
Transportation from the airport The railway station is located 150 metres from the airport. Train to Dora, 19 min, runs from about 07002100. Buses to the Porta Nuova and Porta Susa railway stations depart from close to the departures hall at 30/45 minute intervals. Price 5 euros. Journey time about 40 mins. There are direct buses to the ski resorts at Sestriere, Sauze d´Oulx etc. from the airport. Taxis cost approximately 26-42 euros to reach downtown Turin, and journey time on the motorway is about 30 min. Queues during rush hour traffic.

local traffic
The trams are charming, otherwise it is buses. Lines 1, 4 and 18 run twenty four hours a day. Other buses and trams run from about 0500-2400. Turin’s only metro line runs between Collegno and Piazza XXVIII Dicembre (Porta Susa). Tickets at tobacconists, tabacchi, or at sales outlets marked GTT.
‘Torino+Piemonte Card’
Is valid for one adult and one child under 12. A 48 hour card costs 18 euros, 72 hour card costs 20 euros. Trams, city buses, metro, boats and sightseeing buses are included. Free admission to 130 museums and castles in the region. Discounts at theatres, concert halls and bike rentals.
Taxi
Order solely through the switchboard. Initial extra charge 3.10 euros. Luggage 50 cents/piece. Night fare 2 euros extra, 22-07. Radio Taxi; tel: +39 011 5730 Pronto Taxi; tel: +39 011 5737 Turin Airport Taxi; tel: +39 011 996 30 90
Pharmacy
On the door of every Farmacia there is a list of the chemists that are open during the night.
Telephone
Country code: +39 Area code: 011
Electricity
220 Volts/50 Hz, Italian plugs have three pins