With its mix of Savoy royal palaces and Fiat factories, its dedication to high culture and passionate football fandom, Turin is a fascinating Jekyll-and-Hyde city. The centre, with its elegant Belle Epoque cafés, well-funded civic museums and thriving aperitivo scene, feels like Paris in Italy (and there’s an unmistakable French influence on the city’s architecture, dress sense and dialect). But the gridplan suburbs, which in the 1950s and 1960s absorbed thousands of migrants from Sicily, Calabria and Campania, are as drab a slice of post-industrial greyness as you’ll find anywhere in the country.
However, Turin has not let its slow industrial decline drag the city down. A thriving contemporary art scene, a fragmented but healthy hi-tech sector, a strong design vocation, one of Italy’s largest trade fair complexes — based in the former Fiat factory of Lingotto — and a talent for one-off events such as the 2006 Winter Olympics have kept Turin in the news, and in the pink.
And, having already weathered the restructuring of its auto plants, the city is relatively unperturbed by the current global crisis.
Where to stay
In style: The five-star Golden Palace (via dell’Arcivescovado 18, +39 011 551 2111, thi.it) opened to coincide with the 2006 Winter Olympics. Behind the anonymous Fifties exterior, a sober opulence radiates from the stylish contemporary décor, with rooms carrying the Olympic torch in their bronze, silver or gold colour schemes. WiFi in all rooms and a central position make this a good option for anyone doing business in downtown Turin.
But if you’re attending an event at Lingotto, then think Méridien (+39 011 664 2000, lemeridien.com). Le Méridien Lingotto (via Nizza 262) is the more corporate in style and slightly cheaper of the two, while Le Méridien Turin Art+Tech (via Nizza 230) is the sharp design option. Be aware that prices rise during major trade fairs.
On a budget: The Victoria (via Nino Costa 4, +39 011 561 1909, hotelvictoria-torino.com) is the sort of place tuned-in Torinesi recommend to visitors. Mixing English country style with a touch of the Parisian boudoir, the hotel is efficiently run, features an unexpectedly swish basement spa, and offers free WiFi in the common areas.
South of the centre, Art Hotel Boston (via Massena 70, +39 011 500 359, hotelbostontorino.it) is a boutique hotel with a contemporary art theme, hidden behind an Art Nouveau exterior.
Where to eat
In style: Foodies should not miss Eataly (via Nizza 230, eatalytorino.com), a gastronomic temple and mega-deli in the Lingotto complex. Of the eight restaurants under its roof, star billing goes to Casa Vicina (+39 011 1950 6840, casavicina.it). In soothing minimalist surroundings, the Vicina family serve up creative dishes using rare artisanal products such as marinated grey Carmagnola rabbit or Piedmontese pigs’ trotters.
No such culinary fireworks are on display at Del Cambio (piazza Carignano 2, +39 011 546 690, thi.it) — a historic city-centre restaurant that has changed little since the 1850s, when it was statesman the Count
of Cavour’s favourite haunt.
The Turinese bourgeoisie come here for the magnificent surroundings, the impeccable service, and the pitch-perfect renditions of old stalwarts such as risotto al Barolo.
On a budget: Turin is famous for its neighbourhood trattorias, and one of the most celebrated of all is I Valenza (via Borgodora 39, +39 011 521 3914), which has been just outside Porta Palazzo for half a century. Start with the grilled peppers served with bagna càuda (a garlicky anchovy sauce).
Just a few paces from elegant via Po, Le Vitel Etonné (via San Francesco di Paola 4, +39 011 812 4621, leviteletonne.com) is a cultured wine bar with a bistro ambience, which serves up both snacks and full meals (potato and mint ravioli, pork tenderloin in red wine) with a persuasive selection of Italian wines.
Doing business
However they feel about his legacy, most locals will agree that l’avvocato, as former Fiat boss Gianni Agnelli was known, set the tone for the city’s suave, international approach to business. This is one Italian town where visitors from the north may be surprised to find themselves outmatched in punctuality, and where the working day is unlikely to extend beyond 6pm — when everyone adjourns to the bar for aperitivi. However, it’s still Italy — so don’t be taken aback if the signing of that crucial deal gets interrupted by an even more crucial meal. Sometimes this is gentle brinksmanship, but more often it’s genuine food-comes-first passion.
Whichever, you will score points and impress the locals if you know your white truffle from your black, and your Barbaresco from your Barolo.
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