Verona or Turin?
Jul 2nd, 2014, 02:04 PM
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Verona or Turin?
Would like to have some insight into what would be a better option for a three day visit; Verona or Turin? I plan to travel in the spring of 2015 by flying into Pisa and returning from Milan. I plan to spend a few days in Florence, Bologna and need to decide on the option of Verona or Turin before coming back home from Milan. Thanks in advance for your guidance.
Jul 2nd, 2014, 02:14 PM
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They really are such different cities that without knowing anything about you and your interests it is really impossible to advise other than people saying things like "I love" one or the other or "I didn't like" one or the other. Certainly 3 days in either place would be fine, so it really boils down to what kind of travel experience you are looking for.
Jul 2nd, 2014, 02:16 PM
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sandralist,
Thanks for your immediate response. We enjoy a mix of things in particular eating, enjoying the sights, shopping, some museum and cultural activities. Thanks again for the insight.
Thanks for your immediate response. We enjoy a mix of things in particular eating, enjoying the sights, shopping, some museum and cultural activities. Thanks again for the insight.
Jul 3rd, 2014, 12:44 AM
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I think it is highly misleading to describe Turin as a "large industrial city" when it is an 18th and 19th C. jewel box with beautiful arcades streets and visible Roman roots. Its heyday was the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and now industry has long since departed, and the city has reinvented its historic 19th C. buildings and areas into high concept design like Eataly. It is has turned its Roman foundations -- the Quadrilatero -- into quite well known area of restaurants and cafes that has become of a model of its kind internationally.
Turin is also set on the banks of a rushing river (the most famous and important river in Italy, in fact) and the above posters failure to mention it makes me think the above poster has never been to Turin. It is a problem with these "which of two cities?" questions that people just flog their favorites by trying to make one sound better than the other objectively, when they may not have even been to the other, or had only been there for a day trip and missed most of the city's important features -- like its location on the Po River.
jjrod,
your interests could be satisfied in either beautiful city, and if eating is important to you, then you should look up the differences in the two cuisines, because they are wildly different, and the local wines are significantly different as well.
http://www.made-in-italy.com/italian...gions/piedmont
http://www.made-in-italy.com/italian...regions/veneto
Shopping is also quite different between the two cities, with Verona leaning toward the classic Italian designer brands and Torino being a hotbed of independent design.
The museums of the two cities are notably different, with Torino having some of Europe's best modern art galleries and surely the world's greatest cinema museum, while Verona has more intact pre Renaissance and antique monuments as its major attractions, and music and theater.
You just should get some guides to both cities and decide what you are in the mood for.
Turin is also set on the banks of a rushing river (the most famous and important river in Italy, in fact) and the above posters failure to mention it makes me think the above poster has never been to Turin. It is a problem with these "which of two cities?" questions that people just flog their favorites by trying to make one sound better than the other objectively, when they may not have even been to the other, or had only been there for a day trip and missed most of the city's important features -- like its location on the Po River.
jjrod,
your interests could be satisfied in either beautiful city, and if eating is important to you, then you should look up the differences in the two cuisines, because they are wildly different, and the local wines are significantly different as well.
http://www.made-in-italy.com/italian...gions/piedmont
http://www.made-in-italy.com/italian...regions/veneto
Shopping is also quite different between the two cities, with Verona leaning toward the classic Italian designer brands and Torino being a hotbed of independent design.
The museums of the two cities are notably different, with Torino having some of Europe's best modern art galleries and surely the world's greatest cinema museum, while Verona has more intact pre Renaissance and antique monuments as its major attractions, and music and theater.
You just should get some guides to both cities and decide what you are in the mood for.
Jul 3rd, 2014, 06:27 AM
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"You just should get some guides to both cities and decide what you are in the mood for."
Yes. I agree with the sandralist.
Torino has 975,000 people, Verona has 265,000. The Torino region has 2.7 million people, the Verona region, about 750,000.
Both are Worth It. Depends on your interests and mood.
Yes. I agree with the sandralist.
Torino has 975,000 people, Verona has 265,000. The Torino region has 2.7 million people, the Verona region, about 750,000.
Both are Worth It. Depends on your interests and mood.
Jul 3rd, 2014, 12:59 PM
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I've been to Turin once and Verona twice, and I love Turin. It has beauty, character, diversity, and few tourists - - it is vibrant and I think really gorgeous. I'm good for about an afternoon in Verona. Here's my piccies (with a few of Milan on the front end, then Turin): https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougla...7632250101195/
Jul 3rd, 2014, 02:20 PM
#11
Here is a lightly edited version of our Verona TR. Perhaps the info will be useful to you. We arrived by train the night of New Years day from Milan. We had dinner that night at a wonderful local restaurant directly across from the Hotel Torcolo which is in an ideal location for Verona.
First night: The Hotel Torcolo is located in a tiny square of its own about a minute walk from Piazza Bra. It was a nice location. The day staff had already left. After checking out our room which was basic but nice and very clean, we asked the night person to recommend a nearby restaurant since we were starving by that time. He said that the one just across the square, no more than 50 feet from the hotel was very good and not expensive. He also said that our waiter would be a fellow named Paulo (sp?)and to mention that we were sent by the hotel. The restaurant is called "Nostro Azzurro" - not sure if that is the restaurant name on its sign or a brand of beer. Indeed, there was only one waiter scurrying about. The place was almost full, most customers appearing to be locals and the ambiance was very nice. The menu had a lot of variety and 2 pages of Pizza. The waiter came over and feeling foolish we asked if he was Paulo and that the Torcolo sent us. He was indeed Paulo, and although my menu Italian is pretty good, his English was excellent. We skipped antipasto and opted for a single dish because of the hour. I had the tortellini de zucca (stuffed with pumpkin) and Mi Chica ordered the pasta with smoked salmon sauce. Both were really excellent. We had a half liter of the house white wine that was perfect. Espresso was served with a plate of tiny delicious biscotti. And SURPRISE Paulo brought us both a very fine limoncello as a free welcoming drink. We noted that we would have to return there at least once before moving on to Venice. After leaving the Nostro Azzurro, we walked over to the Piazza Bra, admiring the arena that was lit up and then took a walk down Via Mazzini window shopping in the very upscale shops. When we were sufficiently numbed by the cold, we returned to the Torcolo.
Verona is a nice place. A really nice place, and I don't think the common half to one day run through does it or the traveler justice. We had intended to do a day trip to Mantova during our Verona stay, but after losing a day because of the airline snafu and all of things to do in Verona, we skipped that. My earlier thread describes our arrival, the Hotel Torcolo and the wonderful restaurant, the Nastro Azzurro.
We bought the Verona card and used it over the next few days to see: The Arena; Torre dei Lamberti; Casa di Giulietta; Tomba di Giulietta; Teatro Romano; Museo Lapidario; Museo di Castelvecchio; and, various Chiesi.
A little more about the Hotel Torcolo. The rooms are basic, clean and nice. The heart of the hotel however are the two sweet old ladies, Sylvia and Diana who own the hotel and Caterina, who is usually on in the afternoon. They will knock themselves out to suggest things to see and do as well as places to eat. They seem to get joy and pleasure in assuring a good stay for their guests. Sylvia said that when she retires, she will just sit in Piazza Bra and give advice to tourists. I can believe that.
Our first day was cloudy, and cold. Verona had a recent snow and there was still some on the ground. There was an ice skating rink set up in the Piazza Bra and together with the festive lights, it made for a lively atmosphere. The recent snow made our visit to the arena a slippery adventure.
Verona is a wonderful walking town. We took the first of what were many walks down the upscale Via Mazzini to the Piazza Erbe. Piazza Erbe appears to be the heart of the city and is filled with stalls selling all sorts of things, from food stuffs to tacky things for tourists. We shared a cone of hot chestnuts as we walked. Adjacent to the Piazza Erbe is the Piazza dei Signori AKA Piazza Dante, for the statue of same located there.
As would become our pattern, we spent a lot of time just walking around and taking pictures of what is a very photogenic city.
Dinner on the evening of our first full day was at a restaurant just off the Piazza dei Signori called Giulietta and Romeo. We chose that place since we wanted to sample some typical Veronese dishes that we can not get at home. Sylvia said the restaurant would be good for that sort of thing, but was not necessarily her favorite place. Arriving at the restaurant, we could see that it was quite popular and there was little English to be heard. Keeping to food theme of things that we can't get at home, my primi piatti was a pasta with a sauce made with donkey meat and my secondi was horse meat with polenta. Mi Chica, who doesn't eat meat, thought I was crazy, and ordered a polenta with gorgonzola. Both of my dishes were ok but not things I would order again. Mi Chica's dish was something else. The polenta was fine, but was overwhelmed with two huge slabs of warm gorganzola. One has to be a real gorganola fan to enjoy that dish.
Since our luggage was yet to come, we finished the second of our full days by taking advantage of the January sales to get some necessary necessaries. With the cold weather and freezing fog in mind, Mi Chica skipped the lovely lingerie in favor of some long johns, sox, extra gloves, pants and shirt. She chose for me a fedora because she thought it gave me a snappy Sopranos look - I think the real reason is that she doesn't care for my beret. Shopping for undies for myself was a bit of a mystery since the Italian sizes did not match any of my conversions. Rather than cms or s, m, l, xl etc they were labled 3,4,5,6,7 and other than the obvious that a 7 is bigger than a 4, equivalent sizes were guesswork . The packages were also well sealed and the style was unknown. When I got back to the hotel and tried them out, I found that I had bought something akin to speedos cut high on the side.
About some of the sites we visited: We much enjoyed Castelvecchio and the walk there. On the way we stopped at a little Chinese restaurant (G-d forgive us) and had a very decent and inexpensive lunch. The walk from Piazza Bra to Castelvecchio passes some interesting stalls along the street. Castelvecchio in addition to the structure itself, has a very interesting mixture of antiquities and paintings making for a most pleasant few hours. The bridge views make for some great photo ops as do the distant snow capped mountains.
The Teatro Romano is as would be expected, a Roman theater with wonderful city views. Attached is the archeological museum - a must see.
The Museo Lapidario was also interesting and located at the city gates - Piazza Bra.
The Torre dei Lamberti is the tower at the Piazza Erbe and gives a commanding city view. Although the Verona card includes admission to the tower, use of the elevator is extra. Be advised though that the elevator only goes about 2/3 of the way up. Mi Chica was standing next to the bell when it was chimed. I think that she is still vibrating but her hearing has recovered.
What can you say about the Casa and Tomba di Giulietta other than they make good tourist attractions. The Casa of course has THE balcony where young ladies (and not so young) can reach out their arms to their Romeos taking photos below. We saw the museum since it was included in the card. It is nothing I would pay the full entrance fee for but had some items of interest. The "Tomb" is a good walk across town and the attached museum is more of the archeological variety and has some interest. At the Tomb itself in a sufficiently spooky room one can watch would be Giuliettas climbing into the sarcophagus to be photographed in full tragic pose. This can be amusing if you arrive in the right frame of mind.
Some more on restaurants. As you can see, our taste runs to where locals frequent and we usually find good food at decent prices. One restaurant that should be on your list in addition to the Nostro Azzurro [This is the one opposite the Torcolo] is the Pere D'Oro, a family run place not far from the Teatro Romano. They specialize in Pasta that Mom makes while Dad manages and the kids wait tables. You may need reservations since they were turning people away while we were there.
Since we have yet to visit Turin, I have no opinion.
First night: The Hotel Torcolo is located in a tiny square of its own about a minute walk from Piazza Bra. It was a nice location. The day staff had already left. After checking out our room which was basic but nice and very clean, we asked the night person to recommend a nearby restaurant since we were starving by that time. He said that the one just across the square, no more than 50 feet from the hotel was very good and not expensive. He also said that our waiter would be a fellow named Paulo (sp?)and to mention that we were sent by the hotel. The restaurant is called "Nostro Azzurro" - not sure if that is the restaurant name on its sign or a brand of beer. Indeed, there was only one waiter scurrying about. The place was almost full, most customers appearing to be locals and the ambiance was very nice. The menu had a lot of variety and 2 pages of Pizza. The waiter came over and feeling foolish we asked if he was Paulo and that the Torcolo sent us. He was indeed Paulo, and although my menu Italian is pretty good, his English was excellent. We skipped antipasto and opted for a single dish because of the hour. I had the tortellini de zucca (stuffed with pumpkin) and Mi Chica ordered the pasta with smoked salmon sauce. Both were really excellent. We had a half liter of the house white wine that was perfect. Espresso was served with a plate of tiny delicious biscotti. And SURPRISE Paulo brought us both a very fine limoncello as a free welcoming drink. We noted that we would have to return there at least once before moving on to Venice. After leaving the Nostro Azzurro, we walked over to the Piazza Bra, admiring the arena that was lit up and then took a walk down Via Mazzini window shopping in the very upscale shops. When we were sufficiently numbed by the cold, we returned to the Torcolo.
Verona is a nice place. A really nice place, and I don't think the common half to one day run through does it or the traveler justice. We had intended to do a day trip to Mantova during our Verona stay, but after losing a day because of the airline snafu and all of things to do in Verona, we skipped that. My earlier thread describes our arrival, the Hotel Torcolo and the wonderful restaurant, the Nastro Azzurro.
We bought the Verona card and used it over the next few days to see: The Arena; Torre dei Lamberti; Casa di Giulietta; Tomba di Giulietta; Teatro Romano; Museo Lapidario; Museo di Castelvecchio; and, various Chiesi.
A little more about the Hotel Torcolo. The rooms are basic, clean and nice. The heart of the hotel however are the two sweet old ladies, Sylvia and Diana who own the hotel and Caterina, who is usually on in the afternoon. They will knock themselves out to suggest things to see and do as well as places to eat. They seem to get joy and pleasure in assuring a good stay for their guests. Sylvia said that when she retires, she will just sit in Piazza Bra and give advice to tourists. I can believe that.
Our first day was cloudy, and cold. Verona had a recent snow and there was still some on the ground. There was an ice skating rink set up in the Piazza Bra and together with the festive lights, it made for a lively atmosphere. The recent snow made our visit to the arena a slippery adventure.
Verona is a wonderful walking town. We took the first of what were many walks down the upscale Via Mazzini to the Piazza Erbe. Piazza Erbe appears to be the heart of the city and is filled with stalls selling all sorts of things, from food stuffs to tacky things for tourists. We shared a cone of hot chestnuts as we walked. Adjacent to the Piazza Erbe is the Piazza dei Signori AKA Piazza Dante, for the statue of same located there.
As would become our pattern, we spent a lot of time just walking around and taking pictures of what is a very photogenic city.
Dinner on the evening of our first full day was at a restaurant just off the Piazza dei Signori called Giulietta and Romeo. We chose that place since we wanted to sample some typical Veronese dishes that we can not get at home. Sylvia said the restaurant would be good for that sort of thing, but was not necessarily her favorite place. Arriving at the restaurant, we could see that it was quite popular and there was little English to be heard. Keeping to food theme of things that we can't get at home, my primi piatti was a pasta with a sauce made with donkey meat and my secondi was horse meat with polenta. Mi Chica, who doesn't eat meat, thought I was crazy, and ordered a polenta with gorgonzola. Both of my dishes were ok but not things I would order again. Mi Chica's dish was something else. The polenta was fine, but was overwhelmed with two huge slabs of warm gorganzola. One has to be a real gorganola fan to enjoy that dish.
Since our luggage was yet to come, we finished the second of our full days by taking advantage of the January sales to get some necessary necessaries. With the cold weather and freezing fog in mind, Mi Chica skipped the lovely lingerie in favor of some long johns, sox, extra gloves, pants and shirt. She chose for me a fedora because she thought it gave me a snappy Sopranos look - I think the real reason is that she doesn't care for my beret. Shopping for undies for myself was a bit of a mystery since the Italian sizes did not match any of my conversions. Rather than cms or s, m, l, xl etc they were labled 3,4,5,6,7 and other than the obvious that a 7 is bigger than a 4, equivalent sizes were guesswork . The packages were also well sealed and the style was unknown. When I got back to the hotel and tried them out, I found that I had bought something akin to speedos cut high on the side.
About some of the sites we visited: We much enjoyed Castelvecchio and the walk there. On the way we stopped at a little Chinese restaurant (G-d forgive us) and had a very decent and inexpensive lunch. The walk from Piazza Bra to Castelvecchio passes some interesting stalls along the street. Castelvecchio in addition to the structure itself, has a very interesting mixture of antiquities and paintings making for a most pleasant few hours. The bridge views make for some great photo ops as do the distant snow capped mountains.
The Teatro Romano is as would be expected, a Roman theater with wonderful city views. Attached is the archeological museum - a must see.
The Museo Lapidario was also interesting and located at the city gates - Piazza Bra.
The Torre dei Lamberti is the tower at the Piazza Erbe and gives a commanding city view. Although the Verona card includes admission to the tower, use of the elevator is extra. Be advised though that the elevator only goes about 2/3 of the way up. Mi Chica was standing next to the bell when it was chimed. I think that she is still vibrating but her hearing has recovered.
What can you say about the Casa and Tomba di Giulietta other than they make good tourist attractions. The Casa of course has THE balcony where young ladies (and not so young) can reach out their arms to their Romeos taking photos below. We saw the museum since it was included in the card. It is nothing I would pay the full entrance fee for but had some items of interest. The "Tomb" is a good walk across town and the attached museum is more of the archeological variety and has some interest. At the Tomb itself in a sufficiently spooky room one can watch would be Giuliettas climbing into the sarcophagus to be photographed in full tragic pose. This can be amusing if you arrive in the right frame of mind.
Some more on restaurants. As you can see, our taste runs to where locals frequent and we usually find good food at decent prices. One restaurant that should be on your list in addition to the Nostro Azzurro [This is the one opposite the Torcolo] is the Pere D'Oro, a family run place not far from the Teatro Romano. They specialize in Pasta that Mom makes while Dad manages and the kids wait tables. You may need reservations since they were turning people away while we were there.
Since we have yet to visit Turin, I have no opinion.
Jul 4th, 2014, 11:48 AM
#12
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Thank you all for the comments and insight. Basingstoke2 thanks for the excerpt of your trip report. At this point we are considering forgoing our stay in Bologna and trying to accommodate stays in Verona and Turin. Any thoughts on this trade off. In the past we visited Bologna for a day and greatley enjoyed the cusine and the overall atmosphere.
Jul 4th, 2014, 03:56 PM
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I like Verona. It is very restful, at least when the opera isn't n. Some nice pizzas and old world streets to walk around
One main virtue is its location. Near a very good wine, area and, of course, Venice as well as some other Veneto. towns worth a look.
But don't let anyone tell you that there is much to see or to do there beside just strolling around. Apart from the arena, the museums, churches etc are third rate compared to bigger cities. The stores are just the usual conglomerates, Benetton, Zara, etc etc. One day or less is plenty to see the place itself.
One main virtue is its location. Near a very good wine, area and, of course, Venice as well as some other Veneto. towns worth a look.
But don't let anyone tell you that there is much to see or to do there beside just strolling around. Apart from the arena, the museums, churches etc are third rate compared to bigger cities. The stores are just the usual conglomerates, Benetton, Zara, etc etc. One day or less is plenty to see the place itself.
Jul 4th, 2014, 04:18 PM
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>> At this point we are considering forgoing our stay in Bologna and trying to accommodate stays in Verona and Turin. Any thoughts on this trade off. <<
I greatly enjoy Bologna too but I think it is a good trade off. If Bologna is not loudly calling you back, then give Verona and Torino a go. I think they are both equally fascinating cities, each with plenty of beauty, but the ideas of beauty in each city are startlingly different, which is what makes Italy so much fun. There is certainly far more to Torino than shopping. It is one of Italy's premiere cities for art and architecture, and just new ideas in general. This was Italy's first national democratic capital as well as being a royal capial, and Torino is the most important city in Italy for ideas of order and geometry and science, and now is the home of Eataly, which is conquering the world. It has almost no touristy aspects, so that too makes it interesting. You will have fun comparing the steallar wines of Verona with the stellar wines of Torino, and their competitive cocktails and aperitivo hours.
Verona is just lovely, with a surprise around every corner. One narrow swath of it is too much laid out on a plate for tourists, but if you venture beyond that, you will find loads of history and haunting sights.
Despite both having quite large and sprawling metropolitan areas, the historic core of each is quite compact and neither feels "large" or populous. Both cities, throughout the year, host some mega-trade shows, so be sure to be aware of them. I don't know which or if any happen in spring, but they can dominate the town. (Same is true in Bologna).
Have a great time.
I greatly enjoy Bologna too but I think it is a good trade off. If Bologna is not loudly calling you back, then give Verona and Torino a go. I think they are both equally fascinating cities, each with plenty of beauty, but the ideas of beauty in each city are startlingly different, which is what makes Italy so much fun. There is certainly far more to Torino than shopping. It is one of Italy's premiere cities for art and architecture, and just new ideas in general. This was Italy's first national democratic capital as well as being a royal capial, and Torino is the most important city in Italy for ideas of order and geometry and science, and now is the home of Eataly, which is conquering the world. It has almost no touristy aspects, so that too makes it interesting. You will have fun comparing the steallar wines of Verona with the stellar wines of Torino, and their competitive cocktails and aperitivo hours.
Verona is just lovely, with a surprise around every corner. One narrow swath of it is too much laid out on a plate for tourists, but if you venture beyond that, you will find loads of history and haunting sights.
Despite both having quite large and sprawling metropolitan areas, the historic core of each is quite compact and neither feels "large" or populous. Both cities, throughout the year, host some mega-trade shows, so be sure to be aware of them. I don't know which or if any happen in spring, but they can dominate the town. (Same is true in Bologna).
Have a great time.
Jul 4th, 2014, 04:50 PM
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jjrod… I think your idea of passing by Bologna this time and seeing both is a good one. (I've been to all three and couldn't chose for you.) But if you're one of those of us who love Italy it's a win win. You'll probably be back in the future and can spend time in your favorite then. (Or revisit all three…. we've re-made it to two -
Jul 4th, 2014, 10:47 PM
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I could not agree more with Sandra list ,in particular her first posting registered at 444 am,
I have nothing to add , I agree that questions asking third persons to choose between two cities are flawed from the start, unless questions are narrowed to specific interests.
just for the record I loved visiting both Torino and Verona .
Good luck.
I have nothing to add , I agree that questions asking third persons to choose between two cities are flawed from the start, unless questions are narrowed to specific interests.
just for the record I loved visiting both Torino and Verona .
Good luck.
Jul 5th, 2014, 01:32 AM
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There is less than a 15 minute difference between taking a train from Verona to Milan and taking a train from Verona to Venice. Given the difficulties of getting to the airport in Venice as opposed to getting to the airport from Milan and, if flying to the US, the typically unfavorable departure times from Marco Polo as opposed to Malpensa, I don't see any real advantage to flying home from Venice. I certainly would not alter plane tickets already purchased to do it.
Jul 5th, 2014, 11:11 AM
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Thanks to everyone for your kind response and contribution to my questions. Sandralist, thanks for your thought process regarding return flight logistics. You are absolutely correct in your assessment. We are considering a day trip to Bologna and splitting the balance of our time between Verona and Torino. Ah, the dilemmas posed by La Bella Italia!!
