Turin Travel Diaries #1 - An Italian Dream Away from the Crowds

Hello dear travel lovers. I want to share with you my memories of Turin, the city of black and white magic. Turin was the first capital of Italy and the place where a real economic miracle took place. Although it is a really large, fascinating and incredibly beautiful city, it is almost completely free of tourist crowds. In my opinion Turin is the most underrated city in Italy. Here there is Roman heritage, eye catching churches and palaces that appeal to every taste. It also has an entire district built with Art Nouveau villas. I saw beautiful viewing terraces, green areas, unique architectural features and charming cafes. I spent two days in Turin. And learned what millions of tourists, who travel through Italy without noticing the capital of Piedmont are missing out on.

When I arrived here the question of why there are so few tourists in Turin stuck in my mind. The main reason for this is the citys location. Italy has cities that're close together. When you travel in Italy you see that they are not far from each other. You can move around Italy. You will see that you do not have to go far to get to another great city in Italy. However Turin is unlucky in this regard. It stays outside the main tourist routes in the northwest of the country. I don't even know of a bus tour that covers this place, but looking from this viewing terrace I could see that this was a great loss. Since it was cloudy on the first day we arived, the panorama did not fully reveal itself. Turin is built on an almost perfect plain. All the buildings are aligned. There are no hills. The French border and the high Alps are just fifty kilometers away. I wish the sun was out so we could see the Alps peaks. Long as its not raining you should totally check out this viewing terrace. It's really worth it when the weather is good. The Alps view is amazing, from here. If you're driving I think you should go up to the Basilica di Superga.

Getting to Turin is really easy. You can get to Turin from Genoa or Milan by taking a train, bus or a plane. There are also buses that go from the airport to the center.

The real beauty of Turin is when you are walking in the center. We took a walk in the very center of the city. On one side there was the museum. It has one of the collections of Ancient Egyptian artefacts. On one side was Piazza Carignano. The building facades looked amazing in the sunlight. There is a cafe on the corner called Pepino. It opened at the end of the 19 century. People say Mussolini had ice cream at Pepino. The cafe is also famous for its ice cream at Pepino. Some people think they invented a recipe for ice cream, at Pepino. It let people eat ice cream while walking. Actually people all, over the world already knew about it. But the old cafes in Turin are a completely different pleasure.

The wavy and brick facade of Palazzo Carignano that we encountered was inspired by Borromini projects in Rome. The brick in this place is really nice. Normaly brick is hidden in Baroque buildings but not here.I think the brick look really beautiful when it is exposed like that. Vittorio Emanuele II, the king of United Italy was born in this palace. I loved being. It felt so calm and quiet. We were surrounded by all these brick buildings. It felt like we were in a town not, in the city center. The brick and the old buildings made it feel really peaceful. It is impossible to find such tranquility in Milan or Rome. Turin offered us the opportunity to travel like a local without the crowds, noise and rush.

The city has a rich history. In the center Roman heritage such as the remains of an ancient theater, Roman baths and Porta Palatina, the northern entrance to the city, is preserved. The opening of the university in the fourteenth century was a turning point fpr the city. The city of Turin was doing really after that. This was the time when Turin became the city of the Duchy of Savoy.

People were coming to Turin from over because they wanted to see the city where the Holy Shroud was taken. The Holy Shroud is a cloth that they used to wrap Jesus in. Now it is in the cathedral of Saint John in Turin. I took a walk inthe gardens of Palazzo Reale. This is where the Savoy family lived a time ago. I could feel the power of Turin. The Savoy family was very strong. Played a big role in making Italy one country. Turin was the capital of the kingdom of Italy. The parliament would meet in a building called Palazzo Carignano. The back of Palazzo Carignano, which faces Piazza Carlo Alberto was built in the 1800s. The National Library of Turin is also, in this area. It is a great place to learn about Turin and the Savoy family.

That’s all for today. I will continue to talk about our Turin explorations on my future posts. See you soon.