Tourism
Turin
(Torino) is an ideal holiday destination, but also a perfect
stop-off on a longer trip, thanks to the access roads and
efficient transport systems that provide excellent land and
air links from all principal Italian and European
cities.
Turin (Torino) lies
at the centre of a wonderful region,
Piedmont, the ‘land at the foot of the
mountains’. In fact, as you travel towards the city, you will
be able to admire the rich and varied landscapes that surround
it, the view of the Alps and the parks and hills that connect
it to the many charming places in the
vicinity.
Itineraries
A
few days are not sufficient to discover Turin (Torino), a city
with more than two thousand years’ history and increasingly
forward-looking. First the capital of the Kingdom of
Italy, it was then considered one of the
European capitals
of baroque and today
of contemporary
art. Major Italian
industry was born in Turin (Torino), where development and
design have played a fundamental role, with great
professionals and companies involved in wide-ranging projects:
in 2008 Turin (Torino) will celebrate this history becoming
World Design Capital. The city is also World
Book Capital until 2007 with Rome, celebrating its literary
traditions, its present and the future that is still to be
written… Cinema was another important aspect of the city,
before it moved to Rome: today the seventh art is returning,
thanks to a reborn film industry and cultural initiatives such
as the Torino Film Festival and the Museo Nazionale
del Cinema
And
finally, Torino capital of the spirit, with
its dense mystical history, its social saints and the
continuing interreligious and intercultural dialogue, that
finds its place in events such as Torino
Spiritualità.
More
details on:Torino
Plus
Turin facts / Quick facts
Geography: regional capital of Piedmont, it is
surrounded by the Alps and traversed by the rivers Po, Dora,
Stura and Sangone.
It is one of the greenest
cities in Italy with 17.5km2 of parks, gardens and
river-bank natural areas.
Population:
900,000 in the city, 1,700,000 in the metropolitan area.
Climate: continental, with hot summers
and cold winters. The rainy season is in autumn.
Time zone: Turin (Torino), like all of
Italy, is in the first time zone (UTC +01:00). From the last
Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October the
legal summer time is in force, which brings
the clocks forward by one hour (UTC +02:00).
Currency: the currency in use is the
euro. Currency can be exchanged at all banks with an exchange
counter.
Opening times: the shops (except
for food shops) are usually closed on Monday mornings and open
on Monday afternoons and all day Saturday from 100-1300 and
1530-1930. Many shops now stay open all day. STRONG>Banks:
banks are generally open from Monday to Friday from 0830 to
1300 and from 1400 to 1530.
Weather:The
climate in Turin (Torino) is continental, with hot summers and
cold winters. In spite of the autumn rains and fogs that
characterise the Padana plain, even on grey days Turin
(Torino) has a beautiful light, as the philosopher Nietzsche
who stayed here for some time said in his
writings.
Curiosities
In
May the International Book Fair is the great
attraction, celebrating the long and important editorial
traditions of Torino. Here the great publishing
houses
such as Einaudi, Bollati
Boringhieri, Paravia, Loescher, UTET and Allemandi were
founded.
Torino is also home to historical
writers such as Carlo Fruttero or the
younger echelons Alessandro Baricco, Giuseppe
Culicchia, Giorgio Faletti.
In
Torino it is possible to admire the world from on high: the
Mole Antonelliana is in fact the highest
brick building in Europe. Initially it was designed as the
temple
of Torino’s Jewish community, but during construction the
architect Antonelli built to a height of 167.5 metres, making
it too expensive for his clients. Today it hosts the
spectacular National Museum of Cinema: after riding up in the
panoramic lift it is possible to admire a magnificent view of
the city, with the surrounding hills and
mountains |
