“The best thing about Milan is that it is on the way to Turin,” said one Torino to me. We were driving alongside the magnificent Alps that are a backdrop to Turin. This sophisticated, bustling city lies between better-known Milan and Bologna.
I like its scale. It has much more than the Holy Shroud of Turin and an automobile heritage to recommend it. It’s also a royal city with palaces, fine art, splendid plazas and squares, unexpectedly good restaurants, and diverse museums.
Our first museum was the Palazzo Reale. Turin was the palatial seat of the Savoy family from 1660 until Italy unified in1861. The palace’s state apartments are splendid, to say the least. But I preferred the gardens and walkways of its Galleria Sabauda. These days, it’s dotted with contemporary witty sculptures that left me smiling.
The next museum left me a bit awestruck. Gigantic, dramatically lit black stone sculptures of pharaohs filled an immense hall. This was Turin’s most venerated museum: Museo Egizio, the Egyptian Museum.
It’s considered one of the world’s best. Its treasured mummies and reconstructed temples were brought back to Italy for the Duke of Savoy when Turin was capitol of the area before the Italian Unification.
Confession: I was more interested in a newer museum, the Automobile Museum called Museo dell’Automobile, which was near our hotel. It was exhilarating to get behind the wheel of a 1950s Thunderbird. It was everything you wanted to know about cars and then some.
We looked at everything from horsedrawn vehicles to zippy racing cars. (Anyone want a Bugatti?) The whole history of Italian car design was before us. I got a sense of how important the car industry – and FIAT, in particular – has been to Turin.
My partner and I were staying in the heart of what had once been the FIAT auto factories. It was a city planner’s dream come true. The factory buildings have been repurposed as hotels and restaurants, along with a huge shopping center known as Lingotto.
This “new” part of town even has its own subway stop. We were staying at the 4-star Hilton Doubletree Hotel, which is a well-designed and modern part of the whole complex.
Foodies take note: A few minutes away was Casa Vicina, a one-star Michelin restaurant. It’s very near the Eataly Food Court, which is the very first Eataly in the world (also recommended.)
Our Casa Vicina waiter, Steven, happened to be the owner and was our cuisine “guide.” His brother, Claudio, is the chef. There were several “treats” offered gratis as we dove into what turned out to be a stunning meal.
Our first amuse bouche was Casa Vicina’s signature dish: a martini glass filled amusingly and deliciously, a bagna cauda in strips of color. Was that seaweed on top? No, it was anchovy and garlic. Next, a layer of garlic puree, then colorful bands of mashed red pepper, zucchini, carrots, artichokes, cauliflower, and beets.
My partner had vitello tonnato. The rare veal was delicate, super-thin slices of beef with tuna sauce underneath for a change. Beet and spinach ravioli in broth was a delicate mingling of the saltiness of the filling, calmed down by the lovely pasta dough and just a kiss of buttery broth. With these little pockets of pleasure, Steven advised no cheese.
Vicina is generous with its gifts and its ambiance. Every dish came on modern ceramics, each different, in a mix of colors and textures. Tables were far apart, and contemporary art filled the walls. The room had a happy murmur.
After such excellence, we wanted still more. We opted for hot zabaglione with hazelnut ice cream, divinely light. And lo and behold, another amuse bouche: chocolate coffee beans with whipped cream, plus tiny gems of candy jellies. Steven said they had vodka and wine in them. One had a touch of strawberry, and another a plume of gold leaf. A final treat arrived, which was a cloud of cotton candy. We walked back to our hotel, surprised and contented.
That was just the beginning. The Museum of Cinema (Museo Nazionale del Cinema) is in the tallest building in town and, for a time, was the tallest brick building in the world known as Mole Antonelliana. It has become the symbol of the city. Being inside that huge open space, over 500 feet high, with flickering film images all about, was exciting all its own.
With a bit of electronic wizardry, the Museum of Cinema put me into a film in one exhibit. And we learned about all aspects of the biz. But it was the space itself that made it awe-inspiring.
After that exhilaration, we took one of Turin’s good subway trains (Rivoli stop) to Antica Sere Restaurant in an older part of the city. This neighborhood eatery serves homey, old-style Northern Italian food.
We started with an appetizer plate to share: vitello tonnato, an omelet, whipped cheese, veal sausage, and roasted peppers. The flavors worked so well together, and that omelet was an elegant sliver with a touch of onion. We scarfed down our mains with gusto.
We opted for dessert – a roasted peach with cocoa and amaretto, as well as a zabaglione with crunchy sugar and thick whipped cream on top. Then we got a surprise gift from the chef – a typical Piemonte dessert called bonet or bunet, which was a luxurious addition. Much like a crème caramel or panna cotta, it was silky, rich, and light as a cloud.
We walked back to our Lingotto digs, ready for new adventures. And there they were on the roof of that large old Fiat Building. This former factory was redesigned by prominent architect Renzo Piano. Under the roof was a museum – the highly regarded Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli. Its fine arts collection proudly includes Italian artists like Modigliani, Canaletto, and Canova.
Best of all, on the roof is the former Fiat test car racing track, still intact. Anyone can go up and look.
We didn’t get to spend time at either, having run out of time. I’m beginning to think we should make another trip to Milan. Remember that it’s on the way to Turin!
IF YOU GO:
La Compagnie offers Business Class (only) flights to Milan from Newark Airport. Turin is a little over an hour away.
Ristorante Casa Vicina, Via Fenoglietti 20/B, c/o Green Pea, 3rd Floor, Torino
Automobile Museum, Museo dell’Automobile near our hotel, the Doubletree. Corso Unita d’Italia 40
Antica Sere, Via Cenischia 9
Museo Egizio, the Egyptian Museum. Via Accademia delle Scienze 6
Museo Nazionale del Cinema, The Museum of Cinema, Via Montebello 20
Hilton Doubletree Hotel, Via Giacomo Matte Trucco 1 Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli Via Nizza 230
As a television producer and on-camera reporter, traveling to Asia, Europe, and around the U.S., Norma Davidoff got hooked on travel. She loved her work on television projects in Italy, France, Spain, Indonesia, India, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Norma liked nothing better than being on-location with a small camera crew, meeting locals to learn about their lives. Among many positions, she was producer/on-camera reporter for Newsweek Broadcasting, Director of Program Development for The Travel Channel, and Senior Producer for Ted Turner’s Better World Society. She is particularly proud of her work in public television in its infancy. These days, she writes feature and travel articles, many with her own photos. That has brought Norma to still more places to satisfy her curiosity about the world.
This article made me interested in a city I had not thought of before. The photos were an added bonus.
Ms. Davidoff’s article makes me want to plan a trip to Turin!
An exciting, informative and humorous share! So inviting. She writes with compassion and insight, delightfully pushing our traveling buttons.
A terrific piece. And I loved the photos, too.
Reading Ms Davidoffs sojurn in Turin isn’t just about reading its about joining and being there with her,
and sharing the experience.You can almost taste the food and see the sights through her eyes and if its only briefly, you have been immersed in Turin, and I felt I couldn’t wait to get back for more!!
A nice easy piece to read. It captures some of the great museums of Torino and the great food in its restaurants. Loved the photos too.
When reading this article, I felt as if I was in Turin with its wonderful descriptions of the usual and unusual sights as well the history of those sights.. Now I want to go to also experience the mouth watering food
Great article. I have been to Italy at least 10 times, but never thought of Turin. Now it’s on my bucket list
Very interesting, vivid description and pictures of Turin. This article brings to life a dream of delicious Italian food and culture.
It motivates us to plan a future adventure to this beautiful city.
Wonderful article! The writing and photos really seem to capture the sights, sounds and tastes of Turin. Maybe we will add it to our bucket list!
Turin seems like a fantastic getaway destination! Must try those desserts as well! Enticing account of a beautiful little city!