Lingotto

Turin

　　Turin's former Fiat factory, one of Italy's most praised examples of early-20th-century industrial architecture, is 5km south of the city centre. It was redesigned by architect Renzo Piano in the 1980s to house an exhibition centre, a university campus and hotels. The starkly beautiful space today houses the 8 Gallery...

Caffè Torino

Turin

　　This chandelier-lit showpiece opened in 1903. A brass plaque of the city's emblem, a bull (Torino in Italian means 'little bull'), is embedded in the pavement out front; rub your shoe across it for good luck (you won't have to queue like in Milan). ...

Chiesa della Gran Madre di Dio

Turin

　　A grand backdrop across the Po from Piazza Vittorio Veneto, this church was built in the style of a mini-Pantheon from 1818 to 1831 to commemorate the return of Vittorio Emanuele I from exile. It's small and rounded inside; some claim it's yet another secret repository for the Holy Grail....

Giardino Reale

Turin

　　These royal gardens, freely accessed via the Palazzo Reale, make a tranquil setting for a bit of down time in the city centre. Flower-lined pathways, granite sculptures, trickling fountains and forested areas inspire idyllic strolls. You can also grab a chair and watch the day unfold. ...

Eataly Torino Lingotto

Turin

　　The global Slow Food phenomenon began here in Lingotto. Set in a vast converted factory, the Eataly mothership houses a staggering array of sustainable food and drink, along with beautiful affordable kitchenware and cookbooks. Specialist counters that correspond to their produce area – bread and pizza, cheese, pasta, seafood, Piedmontese...

Borgo Medievale

Turin

　　Perched over a scenic stretch of the Po River, the Borgo Medievale is a small recreated 15th-century village that was actually built for the 1884 Turin Expo. Enter via the drawbridge, then wander amid gardens, arcades, artisan shops and trickling fountains beneath imposing crenellated castle walls. It's a hit with...

Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea

Turin

　　GAM was one of Italy's first modern-art museums and has an astounding 45,000 works in its vaults dedicated to 19th- and 20th-century European artists, including de Chirico, Otto Dix and Klee. It's a great place to expand your knowledge of Italy's post-war period: Paolini, Boetti, Anselmo, Penone and Pistoletto are...

Palazzo Madama

Turin

　　A part-medieval, part-baroque castle built in the 13th century on the site of the old Roman gate, this palazzo is named after Madama Reale Maria Cristina, the widow of Vittorio Amedeo I (Duke of Savoy, 1630–37). Today, much of the building houses the expansive Museo Civico d'Arte Antica, which contains...

Mole Antonelliana

Turin

　　The symbol of Turin, this 167m tower with its distinctive aluminium spire appears on the Italian two-cent coin. It was originally intended as a synagogue when construction began in 1862, but was never used as a place of worship, and nowadays houses the Museo Nazionale del Cinema. For dazzling 360-degree...

Piazza Castello

Turin

　　Turin's central square is lined with museums, theatres and cafes. The city's Savoy heart, although laid out from the mid-1300s, was mostly constructed from the 16th to 18th centuries. Dominating it is the part-medieval, part-baroque Palazzo Madama, the original seat of the Italian parliament. To the north is the exquisite...

Balon

Turin

　　This sprawling flea market has brought street merchants to the north of Porta Palazzo since 1857. It's both fascinating and overwhelming, but can turn up some splendid vintage finds for the persistent and sharp of eye. The pace settles down come mid-afternoon and there are plenty of artfully dishevelled cafes...

Fondazione Merz

Turin

　　The Arte Povera powerhouse, Mario Merz, was born in Milan but spent most of his creative life in Turin. This foundation space, an evocative reworking of the former Lancia heating plant, holds regular exhibitions of his work and an astute program of Italian contemporary art. It also hosts concerts, poetry...

Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli

Turin

　　On the rooftop of the Lingotto building, 3km south of the centre, this intimate gallery houses the personal collection of late Fiat head Gianni Agnelli, with masterpieces by Renoir, Manet, Modigliani, Matisse and Picasso, among others. Apart from the paintings, your ticket grants you access to the Lingotto's famous rooftop...

Fondazione Sandretto re Rebaudengo

Turin

　　This classic white-cube contemporary gallery space was created with Italian super curator Francesco Bonami and runs a great exhibition program showcasing outstandingly talented artists. Provocative thematic shows grapple with themes like globalisation, refugees, labour rights and other contemporary topics in surprising ways. ...

Caffè Al Bicerin

Turin

　　Founded in 1763, with an exquisitely simple boiserie interior dating to the early 1800s, this one-room cafe takes its name from its signature drink, a potent combination of chocolate, coffee and cream. Fuelling the likes of Dumas, Puccini, Nietzsche and Calvino, along with Savoy royalty and Turin's workers, the price...

Museo Ettore Fico

Turin

　　This sleek, contemporary gallery joins Turin's already stellar collection of pivotal art foundations. Set in an old factory in a hipster, postindustrial neighbourhood north of the Dora River, MEF has three major shows per year, with high-profile monographic exhibitions as well as installation work by contemporary artists, along with design,...

Caffè degli Argenti

Turin

　　Sip cups of molten coffee in the glorious, gold-on-black Sala Cinese of the Venaria Reale palace. Also on order are top-quality panini, pastries and ice cream, which can be enjoyed on the terrace overlooking the Grand Parterre garden. ...

Museo Nazionale del Cinema

Turin

　　Housed in the Mole Antonelliana, this enjoyable museum takes you on a fantastic tour through cinematic history. Memorabilia on display includes Marilyn Monroe’s black lace bustier, Peter O’Toole’s robe from Lawrence of Arabia and the coffin used by Bela Lugosi’s Dracula. At the heart of the museum, the vast Temple...

Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano

Turin

　　After extensive renovations, this significant museum reopened in 2011 to coincide with the centenary of the Risorgimento (reunification period). An astounding 30-room trajectory illustrates the creation of the modern Italian state in the very building (the baroque Palazzo Carignano) where many of the key events happened. Not only was this...

Guido Gobino

Turin

　　Guido Gobino's extreme attention to detail, flair and innovation have made him Turin's favourite modern chocolatier. Have a box of his tiny tile-like ganache chocolates made to order: highly evocative flavours include vermouth, Barolo, and lemon and clove. Or grab a bag of his classic gianduiotto (triangular chocolates made from...

Farmacia Del Cambio

Turin

　　Cambio Corner – home to one of Turin's best restaurants, not to mention bars – also has this 'informal' but glamorous all-day space, set within an old pharmacy dating to 1833. Pop in for morning coffee or to pick up deli goods, but do come back for aperitivo, either beneath...

Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista

Turin

　　Turin's cathedral was built between 1491 and 1498 on the site of three 14th-century basilicas and, before that, a Roman theatre. Plain interior aside, as home to the Shroud of Turin (traditionally believed to be the burial cloth in which Jesus' body was wrapped), this is a highly trafficked church....

Basilica di Superga

Turin

　　Vittorio Amedeo II's 1706 promise, to build a basilica to honour the Virgin Mary if Turin was saved from besieging French and Spanish armies, resulted in this wedding cake edifice, built on a hill across the Po river. 　　Architect Filippo Juvarra's Basilica di Superga became the final resting place of...

Museo Casa Mollino

Turin

　　Architect-designer-artist Carlo Mollino is perhaps Turin's most intriguing son and a quintessentially 20th-century Torinese. The little-known Museo Casa Mollino is a testament to his deliriously lush aesthetic and his skill as a craftsman, as well as his manifold obsessions. It was also where many of his theatrical, erotically charged Polaroid...

Palazzo Reale

Turin

　　Statues of the mythical twins Castor and Pollux guard the entrance to this eye-catching palace and, according to local hearsay, also watch over the magical border between the sacred and diabolical halves of the city. Built for Carlo Emanuele II around 1646, its lavishly decorated rooms complete with jaw-dropping coffered...

Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile

Turin

　　As the historic birthplace of one of the world's leading car manufacturers – the ‘T’ in Fiat stands for Torino – Turin is the obvious place for a car museum. This dashing modern museum, located roughly 5km south of the city centre, doesn't disappoint with its precious collection of more...

Reggia di Venaria Reale

Turin

　　OK, it may not enjoy the weighty publicity of its French counterpart, but this is one of the largest royal residences in the world, rescued from ruin by a €235 million 10-year-long restoration project. Humongous, ostentatious, regal, yet strangely underpublicised, this Unesco-listed baroque palace some 14km northwest of Turin was...

Castello di Rivoli

Turin

　　Some 21km west of Turin, the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art is a giant of modern art in Piedmont. Its ambition and reach, not to mention healthy regional funding, has been the envy of Milan, Venice and Rome's art worlds. The permanent collection has a sizeable number of...

Museo Egizio

Turin

　　Opened in 1824 and housed in the austere Palazzo dell'Accademia delle Scienze, this Turin institution houses the most important collection of Egyptian treasures outside Cairo. Among its many highlights are a statue of Ramses II (one of the world's most important pieces of Egyptian art) and a vast papyrus collection....