Sia

All-<BR><BR> Headed to Turin this weekend for the half-marathon. Few comments about the trip...for those of you driving from Venice or Verona, take A-21, the southern route that stays away from Milan- it was a clear drive with no traffic, and easy to get into Turin center. Stayed at the Liberty Hotel; a twin room was 105 Euro, parking was 15 Euro extra. Parking was worth it (drivers were even crazier than where I live), but the room was not; very small shower, no fridge and it was rather noisy until the trams stopped running. But the service was courteous and helpful, and it was clean. Went to the Egyptian museum; great collection, worth the time- saw Henry Kissinger of all people. The duomo is a bit disappointing- the shroud casing is completely covered- wish I could have seen more than the picture. Turin seemed to be a very young city- the shopping was pretty good. Stopped at Asti on the way back, didn't get to hit any vineyards, but luckily they were selling wine in the main piazza- the wine festival and horse races are next weekend!<BR>Ciao<BR>Sia

Esther

I'll be headed to Turin/Asti soon myself. Did you find any good restaurants while you were there?

Sia

Esther- <BR><BR> I am usually the first one to plan which restaurants we're going to before we even show up, but this time I was traveling with someone who was on a strict budget and since our focus was the race, we just looked for pasta, cheap and lot's of it! Our hotel advised to hit the big Piazza (Veneto, I think?) Right on the river for dinner; restaurants were actually on the side streets coming off it; cafes were on the piazza itself. One last interesting thing about Turin, almost all the walkways in the city center are covered, even across the streets- city planning at it's best.

Esther

Thank you, Sia! I'm glad to hear that you liked the Egyptian museum. I was thinking about visiting it & now I think that I will.

Graziella

Helooo, Turin is not a very young city, .........most of its history is associate with the House of Savoy a dynasty that reign for 900 years , even presiding over the kingdom of Italy when Vittorio Emanuelle II was proclaimed king in 1861<BR>as for restaurants Torino has many fine restaurants, Restaurante del Cambio is one of the most famous, ...the Piamonentese cuisine is highly regard not only in Italy but all over the wordl.<BR>Among other restaurantes, La Porta Rossa, Savola, Torricelli, Tre Galline , Vintage 1997 . Famous cafes with the most delicious small sandwiches are all over Torino. To miss them is a sin.<BR> <BR><BR>

Esther

Graziella, is one of these good eating establishments near the Porta Nuova train station, by any chance? My husband and I will be arriving at the train station at 1 pm, and I'm sure that we'll be ready to eat some of the delicious Piamonentese cuisine you mentioned right away.

Sia

Noted- by young I meant there were quite a few young people there.

Graziella

Hi Esther, I wish I knew better !!!, I do not know how much time you have but there are plenty of taxis near Porta Nova station . I would take one and drive directly to Ristorante del Cambio,in Piazza Carignano, I think you will enjoy their food, and besides this is a classic in Torino.<BR>The restaurant is in front of the Palazzo Carignano which holds a fascinating historic museum , the building itself is very interesting done in red bricks, but better still the Egyptian museum is very near(like two short blocks), but if you do not have time for museums from el Cambio you can reach via Roma - one or two blocks away- this main street is full of wonderful shops and caffes and you could walk back towards the station.It is has arches at both sides so even if it rains you can walk protected. Or depending on your time from el Cambio you could go towards the Cattedrale where the Holy Shroud is and then walk back to the Station always via Roma.<BR>There are some seedy areas near Porta Nova, I think mostly near Via Sacchi so avoid that. I think there is a taxi stop coming out of Porta Nova facing a little park on the right hand.<BR>Should you have very little time , a solution whould be to ask at the Hotel Genio<BR>(we stayed there once, it is a nice Best Western, right in the corner of Via Nizza, coming out of the station to the right. )I am sure the front desk clerk can advise you much better than I to find a good restaurant closer to the station.<BR>However if you have time and wish to <BR>have a memorable meal take the taxi to El Cambio, is not far and as I suggested simply walk back Via Roma to the station.<BR>There are charming areas in Torino like the older part of town, around via Garibaldi.Anyway by no means I know well Torino, and simply was charmed by its elegance and way of life. Ah, those cafes ! People in Torino seem to have TIME to relax, chat, and enjoy life between their daily chores.<BR>Mail me directly if you feel my inf. has not been clear enough.have a great trip. ( El Cambio is closed on Sundays)<BR><BR><BR>

dutyfree

Do any of you recall the university in Turin? Would you want to spend a year studying there for your junior year abroad? Any info would be greatly appreciated such as your take on the city,transportation distances to other major spots,where did you fly into to get to Turin and the people of the city?(My son is still trying to find a junior year abroad program and it meets most of his criteria but we have not been there.)<BR>Thanks for your help!

RAR

Hi Duty. While I cannot fully answer your question, I might be able to help a lil .. I study in Bologna (and love it here, if he could come here I would tell him do it do it do it! hehe), and have had friends who've travelled to Torino. As one poster said, Torino seems young, and a nice place to be. A few of my friends said it reminded them of Berkeley. Based of that... I would say why not? Besides, any place in Italy will be fun and memorable, in my opinion.

Queenie

<BR>Hi Dutyfree, <BR>I was in Turin last weekend and was quite impressed.<BR>The University is located along the banks of the Po River - the campus looked compact and attractive.<BR>Presently Turin appeared a bit torn up - many streets are under repair, and buildings scaffolded (perhaps in preparation for the 2006 winter olympics), but we still thought the city was lovely with interesting architecture.<BR><BR>The city has about 1 million inhabitants. The bus and tram system seemed to function well (we did use it).<BR><BR>There is a Turin airport that is serviced by all major cities (we flew from zurich - there are 2 flights a day to Zurich). The airport is a 1/2 hour bus ride to the Main Train Station (5 Euro). There is also a train connection.<BR><BR>Less than 2 hours to Geneva or Milan. I think 2 hours to Chamonix - these are rough approximations. It seemed quite central.<BR><BR>Lots of young folks. Many discos along the River.<BR><BR>And the FOOD - Well, you are in Italy. Need I say more?

dutyfree

Thanks for your email RAR! What are you studying;are your classes in English? and are there many negatives to studying in that part of the world vs the UK or Scandinavia? Where are you from in the states or what college do you attend here?Major? I do not think that he wants to attend an Italian version of Berkeley though?Is the cost of living doable? Thanks for any tips!

RAR

I'm studying Italian literature, my classes are the regular courses offered by Univ of Bologna. That being said, you can find a wide variety of programs, catering from those with no experience with the language to those who have studied it at home.<BR><BR>Um, I can't think of any negatives to living in Italy. But I'm not your son, I would just say choose what sounds most interesting. Personally I think I am living in the most amazing spot on Earth.<BR><BR>I attended UC San Diego, and am doing my senior year here in Italy. What I meant by calling Torino &quot;Berkeley&quot; had more to do with the city: leafy, wide streets, young people. Cost of living for me in Bologna is about equivalent to that in San Diego.. I spend less on rent but more on food (go figure). Piedmonte is supposed to have amazing food (blend of Italian/French).<BR><BR>Hope that helps.

dutyfree

Thank you so much for answering my questions-in fact I have gone back to looking at my Italy map and think that we should plan our next overseas trip to northern Italy.Maybe he would be interested in taking his mom along for the year...............he is studying economics and that is what has been the problem as he needs to have at least 2-3 econ courses to finish up his major along with 3 history courses. Turin might fit the bill.Anyone else have stories about their trip to Turin-I am all ears! Thanks-

dutyfree

Queenie-please accept my thanks for your report(you guys are so much better at giving a Cliff Note synopsis) for me. Anyone else?

RAR

Just about every Italian university offers econ courses, with Bocconi in Milan being the most famous the major.

dutyfree

RAR-would you take a chance and apply for the Turin university sight unseen? It seems very difficult to make a decision on a year experience without even seeing the town or campusYour thoughts? Thanks-

RAR

Well basically every foreign exchange student has to go &quot;sight unseen&quot;. Unless they are one of the lucky few who have previously traveled to Europe, and already seen their university/city.<BR><BR>I hadn't seen Bologna. I just knew it'd be an adventure, and that it'd be Italy. That's all I needed to know.<BR><BR>If you are apprehensive about it, talk to students who had participated in the program the year before. Use the web to find opinions. Turin is a nice city, I'm sure he could do worse.<BR><BR>Honestly it sounds like you are worried for him. If his worry-level matches yours, perhaps he should stay home. It requires a certain amount of confidence to travel overseas. And that confidence only grows, after you realize that you can function and live in a society that is completely foreign to you.

dutyfree

RAR-thanks for your reply. Actually our family has traveled quite extensively so I really do not have that kind of fear factor-more that Turin and surrounding area where the school is located is not some industrial &quot;pit&quot;.His two schools that he would be able to attend right now are the Copenhagen Business School or the SAA/University of Turin. He is really hot to go to Italy and have the intensive language course along with the location. Right now we are waiting to see if his profs/dept. will okay the various courses at either school so he might graduate on time?(I know what you are going to say but financially it would help us).He goes to a university outside of the US so we are learning to deal with the various roadblocks in academia.<BR>Ironically,we have traveled alot in Italy-Venice,Pisa ,Florence,Bologna,Siena, Rome,etc. on various trips but have never gone to the corner of where Turin is located at.The whole family would love to have a chance to visit him in Italy if he went.

RAR

Obviously if I had a choice between Denmark and Italy I'd go with Italy. If he is really high on the idea of going to Turin... well why not! University of Turin is a good school.<BR><BR>And I totally agree about making sure the classes transfer... I wouldnt be here in Bologna if they didn't. It's simply too much money for just the &quot;experience&quot;. The fact that I can both further my accademic career (starting grad school this fall) and get the cultural experience, at the same time, makes this trip more than worth it. Plus, good lord, I live in the middle of Italy. The traveling I get to do is ridiculous Turin is not so central to Italy, but it is quite close to Cote d'Azur and Switzerland... and of course northern Italy. I hope he enjoys skiing/snowboarding because Aosta is a great place for that, and right next door to Torino.