Turin cannot equal the spectacle of Rome or of Florence, where art is everywhere and marble statues adorn bridges, streets, and balconies, and fountains are grand centerpieces of piazzas. Nevertheless, Turin is a city with its own history and riches, with broad streets lines with trees and miles of arcades where one can purchase anything and everything, from clothes, housewares, leather goods, or food and drink which will titillate your taste buds. History fans will find much to love there.
The city has many beautiful palaces. We visited one outside of town about 20 minutes by bus, Venaria Reale. This incredible palace was built by a king as his hunting lodge-just a place in which to get away from the city and enjoy some downtime, I suppose. It has a large collection of sculpture and artwork, gorgeous furnishings and tiny details in the ceilings that will strain your neck. The grounds are extensive and are next to a small town area that still thrives today.
The Cinema Museum, (inside Mole Antonelliana, which was once known as the Eiffel Tower of Italy and has a glass elevator that takes you to the top for a panoramic view of Turin) has thousands of movie posters hanging from the walls and ceilings from every film imaginable. On the first floor, period rooms encourage a trip down memory lane of many blockbuster movies. One can easily pass several hours here watching film clips, reading up on film stars, or relaxing on a recliner watching movies on a large screen.
For any car buff, the Automobile Museum(a couple blocks off the main Metro line from Porta Nuova) is a must. It has an extensive history of Italian car design (mostly Fiat, which began there), along with numerous cars of many makers is on display, starting in the late 1800s and ending with some of the latest designs. Allow a couple of hours minimum here.
For those who love history, the Egyptian Museum will be of great interest. Outside of Cairo, it contains the largest collection of Egyptian relics on display. The museum is designed very well, leading you through the years of history. The lighting is kept subdued, adding to the atmosphere, giving you he feeling of life thousands of years ago. Those statues of pharaohs you’ve seen in books? They’re here and they’re big. It’s a strange sensation being next to something manmade that’s thousands of years old. This is a must-see site.
Our last day in Turin was a Saturday. The streets were filled with shoppers of all ages, with many families out for the day. It seemed like a huge festival where the background noise was the human voice. The central piazza (Piazza Castello) was alive with children’s events, entertainment and artist’s performances. It was quite a scene.
Turin is an easy city to walk in, has a nice riverfront, is well laid out and has a good, cheap public transportation system. There are two train stations in town with easy connections east to Milan, which is a gateway to anywhere else. (Both Trenitalia and Italo fast trains go to Turin.) There is a Regionale train north to Aosta, in the foothills of the Alps. Although we didn’t go there, the Mediterranean coast is a short drive south from Turin and is reportedly a very beautiful area.
Italy is one helluva ride. We felt lucky to wake up each day knowing we would see something spectacular. The Italians work hard to preserve their passions for art, music, history, food & wine, and just the joy of life. Being a small part of this jigsaw puzzle still sends shivers through my mind and body. It’s a long way there and back, but do yourself a favor-go for it.