What to do in Turin??
 

What is there to do in Turin? Do you know of any tour companies? Can you tour some of the locations were the olympics were?

Thanks!

In addition to just simply being there to stroll the many arcaded streets, the two things I remember most vividly about Turin are: (1) the Mole Antonelliana, Turin's oddly shaped pyramid-like tower, from the top of which you can get a fantastic view of the city and the Alps beyond, and (2) the Egyptian Musueum, which houses the most important collection of Egyptian art and artifacts outside of Cairo.

Take in the local sites as Flyfish stated (both the best here) and then I'd suggest you get on a train and stop in Asti or Alba (both only short, 30 to 45 minute train rides) and take a taxi to a local winery. We toured the FontaFredda winery in Alba and it was great. Taxi's are fairly cheap compared to the cost (and worry) of driving locally.. and trains are an exceptional value and an great experience in themselves. Tip. Write a lot of what you want to do (addresses, etc) on individual 3x5 cards) to give to the taxi drivers. Came in handy a few times with drivers who spoke very little English. Have fun!

Hmm,lets see:

Torino (Turin) was originally a roman garrison on the key roads into western Europe, and although it missed out on the renaissance (except for its doumo, home to the “shroud of Turin”), the Royal house of Savoy rebuilt the city in the 18th century into a city of great charm and baroque elegance, spacious, well planned and easy to get around. Turin was the centre of Italian reunification in the 19th century and for a while Italy’s first capital .

Torino is still relatively undiscovered by tourists in spite of the recent winter Olympics and there is no shortage of things to do and see.

1.a score of museums, including several former royal palaces, don’t miss the Palazzo Reale and accompanying Armoury and Library, the National museum del Italian Unification, the Egyptian museum (second only to Cairo), the incredible Cinema Museum in the Mole Antoneliana and the Automobile museum celebrating Turin’s role as the “Detroit” of Italy, The Shroud of Turin museum, Museum of Pietro Micca (celebrating the great siege of 1703), plus museums of civic arts; decorative arts; antiques; natural science; mountains; artillery and many more

2.Art Galleries: the Gallerie Sabauda, Modern arts (GAM), Gallerie Subalpina and Pinoteca Agnelli (the Fiat family collection)

3.Churches, the Doumo home of the (in)famous shroud, the Superga Mausoleum overlooking Turin and the Alps, with the Savoy tombs, plus many others

4. Many great restaurants and cafes, Turin was one of Europe’s first major chocolate centres and you can buy a choco-pass to get around town visiting artisan chocolatiers,

5.Nearby “Olympic” mountains up the Val de Susa, you can go by train or car to the Olympic venues.

6.The famous Piedmont wine country home of Italy’s best reds (Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera) and some of Italy’s most fabulous trattorie is only a hop, step and jump away

The list could go on and on, check out www.turismotorino.org for details and links to tour operators.

Ciao

1) Definitely the Mole -- extremely stunning building and cinema museum. Don't miss this.

2) Despite the claim about the Egyptian Museum being ``seond only to Cairo," what visitors see falls short of British Museum -- but is still very worthwile.

4) Chocolate is fantastic, check out the one- or two-day Choco-Pass, which gives you a map of hotspots and samples. Turin's chocolate is far better than the Swiss stuff (and the people are much nicer).

5) Don't leave without tasting the killer B's: bicerin and barolo. (daily ...)

6) Stroll the Po.

7) There's a great street market.

8) If you like elite soccer, Juventus tickets are surprisingly easy to come by given that it is one of the world's top teams.

9) Post-Games the Olympic venues won't be that impressive, but do visit the Piazza Castello (which hosted the medals plaza) and Piazza San Carlos (where Katie Couric set up shop.) Vist the El Bicerin restaurant nearby -- rich with history since 1763 -- Alexandre Dumas, . Nietzsche, Puccini were regulars, they say.

10) Two great shopping and strolling street -- Via Roma and Via Po.

Great under-rated town. I think it's overlooked because the lovely heart of the city is ringed by dreary housing -- plus there seems to be an iversion problem that clouds the skies too often.

Repete where do you live and when were you in Turin? You should have been in Torino today. Inversion my foot (of the mountains that is to say). Piedmont actually has much less clouds then N.Europe

and Turin's Egyptiam museum has the second largest in the world thanks to the european looters who descended on Egypt after Napoleon, (how about the Elgin marbles in the British museum) but of course Cairo is the most spectacular

I spent a month in Turin earlier this year and I also was there in 2005. I live on the U.S. East Coast.

For that month, the mountains were clearly visible from town for a little over a week.

While Turin's Egyptian Museum might have a larger collection than the British Museum, the amount of displays and the quality of the displays are superior in the British Museum. Neither are Cairo, from what I've been told -- have not been there.

This doesn't mean I'm e British Museum partisan. On the debate over the Marbles, I'm clearly on the side of the Greeks.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11351148/from/RL.2/

But on clear day or hazy, I stand by my remark that it's a great, underrated city for a visit. I'd return in a minute.