Torino - the city

Buzzing and elegant, Torino has today a population of one million, a city that looks to the future without forgetting its past.

Surrounded by the arc of the Alps Torino has a wealth of greenery in its parks and gardens, flanked by luxuriant hills and crossed by the waters of the River Po. The first capital of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, the city is dotted with evidence of its history, begun more than two thousand years ago.

It boasts Baroque palaces and sumptuous royal residences, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, from the city centre Palazzo Madama to Venaria Reale; churches and museums that house priceless masterpieces, such as the Self-portrait in red chalk by Leonardo da Vinci.

Home to the world’s most important Egyptian Museum after the one in Cairo, Torino is also the city that saw the birth of Italian cinema at the beginning of the 20th century and is rightly the home to the National Cinema Museum in the spectacular setting of the Mole Antonelliana, the symbol of Torino.

Torino is now also one of Europe’s leading capitals of Contemporary Art, thanks to a vast range of collections, museums and foundations, events and fairs.

The heart of the region’s gastronomy, and with a history of great chefs, Torino is where extraordinary specialities have been created, such as gianduiotti chocolates and gianduja cream, a delight made of cocoa and hazelnuts, known through the world. When you sit down to eat, you will find one of the world’s richest menus: grissini bread sticks, agnolotti, cheeses and truffles, all accompanied by wines from the region’s great tradition. The enchanting atmosphere of the historic cafés, where intellectuals and thinkers have passed their time over the centuries, continue to offer the very torinese rite of the aperitif.

Knowledge, research and creativity: science and the humanities find common ground in Torino. Scientists such as Amedeo Avogadro, Galileo Ferraris, Giulio Bizzozzero and Ascanio Sobrero were from Piemonte. Authors who have made the history of literature have lived and worked here, while the most important Italian publishers were founded here.

Further information on: www.turismotorino.org, www.torinoplus.it and www.torinopiupiemonte.com.