Turin

Turin has a very attractive Baroque town centre. At first glance, looking from the gates of the royal palace down the Via Roma it seems that Turin has only one street lined with colonnades shading smart shops and cafés. But leading off from the castle, another colonnaded street, Via Po, heads down to the pretty Piazza Vittorio Veneto and the River Po. In the opposite direction, heading towards the older part of town, is the pedestrianised Via Garibaldi.

The Grand Palace, Palazzo Reale, is to be found in the heart of Turin in Piazza Castello. It was built in 1660 and used by the Savoy dukes, kings of Sardinia and of Italy until 1865. The Duomo di San Giovanni is a small but elegantly designed Renaissance building. At the back of the Cathedral is an outstanding Baroque octagonal cupola built in 1694. The remains of the Roman city are evident from the cathedral steps. You can see fragments of the wall, theatre and Porto Palatina, the main gates to the Po Valley.

Turin is well known for it's appalling parking of cars and for its café lifestyle. Drivers make a habit of abandoning cars in the middle of the streets and at junctions! A Turino card, available from the tourist office, is valid for 48 hours and gives free travel on public transport and access to over 80 museums in and around Turin. You may want to see Juventus and Torino play at the Stadio delle Alpi on the edge of town.