This Overlooked Italian City Was the Nation’s First Capital—With Gorgeous Palaces and Historic Cafés

• Visit the Royal Palace to see the Savoy dynasty’s opulent royal apartments, the impressive armory, and gardens designed by the landscape architect behind the grounds of Versailles.

• Stop by Galleria Gilibert, an antiquarian bookstore inside the elegant Galleria Subalpina, and pick up a vintage poster to bring home as a unique souvenir.

• Embrace café culture and try a bicerin at one of the city’s historic cafés, like Baratti & Milano or Mulassano.

• Sip a Negroni or other vermouth-based cocktail at the intimate Bar Cavour.

• Extend your trip with a couple of nights at Relais San Maurizio, a luxurious family-run hotel in the Piedmont hills.

Imagine an elegant Italian city with a bit of French je ne sais quoi—that city is Turin (or Torino in Italian). Capital of the northern Italian region of Piedmont, Turin was part of the Duchy of Savoy, which covered the borderlands between Italy, France, and Switzerland. When Italy became a unified country in 1861, the royal family of Savoy became its rulers, and Turin—not Rome—became the country’s first capital.

Nowadays, you can still sense a French influence in the city’s architecture, culture, and cuisine. There are royal palaces filled with artwork and priceless antiques, grand cafés, and fascinating museums. Turin is also the birthplace of vermouth, a fortified wine flavored with aromatic herbs that’s used in cocktails like the Negroni and the martini, which can be sipped at bars around town. The cuisine is influenced by French and Italian traditions and makes the most of the region’s bounty, including prized white truffles and hazelnuts. Best of all, Turin doesn’t attract the crowds of tourists that flock to Italy’s more famous cities.

On past trips to Turin, I’ve wandered through the halls of the Royal Palace, sipped cocktails at one of the city’s best bars, and shopped at an antique bookstore, but I wanted to get more expert tips. I reached out to Zoe Stella Shapiro, founder of Stellavision Travel, and T+L A-List travel advisor Fulvio De Bonis, co-founder of Imago Artis Travel, both of whom organize trips to this elegant city. Read on to find out why Turin deserves a visit and everything you need to know to plan a trip there.

Best Hotels & Resorts

NH Collection Torino Piazza Carlina

Set around a peaceful courtyard in the heart of Turin, this four-star hotel occupies a building with 17th-century roots that’s been freshened up with modern decor. The restaurant serves local specialties like vitello tonnato (thinly sliced veal in tuna sauce) and pasta, while the ground-floor bar is a convenient place for a nightcap.

Villa La Madonna

“An extended stay at Villa La Madonna in the Piedmont countryside is on my personal wish list for 2025,” Shapiro says. This family-run boutique hotel set on a vineyard about 90 minutes outside of Turin is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. It has just 18 rooms—each with a balcony or terrace—a cozy restaurant, and a UNESCO-listed wine cellar.

Relais San Maurizio

A member of the Leading Hotels of the World, this family-run boutique hotel occupies a 17th-century monastery in the Piedmont hills about 90 minutes from Turin. The Michelin-starred restaurant uses vegetables and herbs grown in the property’s organic garden, while the spa has thalassotherapy pools, salt caves, and wine-based treatments. The property also has an impressive art collection, which includes large-scale site-specific works by English artist David Tremlett.

Sina Villa Matilde

About 40 minutes from Turin, this elegant hotel is set in an 18th-century residence that once belonged to the Bishop of Ivrea and later to the aristocratic Bocca family, who are behind Sina Hotels. With just 43 rooms and suites, the property gives guests plenty of space to relax, with indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, biking experiences, and Le Scuderie restaurant, which serves Piedmontese cuisine.

Related: This Destination in Italy Is One of the Country’s Best-kept Secrets—With Prized White Truffles, Michelin-starred Restaurants, and the ‘King’ and ‘Queen’ of Wines

Best Things to Do

Ogle the Royal Palace.

Located right in the heart of Turin, the Royal Palace was built in the 17th century as the Savoy royal residence, with gardens designed by André Le Notre (the landscape designer of Versailles). Now part of the Musei Reali, the palace’s royal apartments—replete with crystal chandeliers, ceiling frescoes, gilded moldings, and antiques—have been opened up to the public. The most impressive space, though, might be the armory, which features 18th-century ceiling frescoes and displays armor worn by medieval knights and their horses.

Visit the Egyptian Museum.

“The Egyptian Museum, second only to the one in Cairo for its collection, has just inaugurated a new setting, which intends to tell the story of the ancient Nile civilization by delving into the history and use of about 6,000 finds including wood, ceramic vases, objects, and pigments,” explains De Bonis, adding that Imago Artis can organize a tour of the museum with the curator early in the morning before it opens to the public.

See a show at the Teatro Regio.

“Get tickets to something at the Teatro Regio or do a daytime tour to marvel at the surrealist modernism of Carlo Mollino. You’ll never look at an egg the same way,” Shapiro says. With roots tracing back to the 1700s, the theater was destroyed by a fire in 1936 and rebuilt in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It’s considered a masterpiece of midcentury modern design.

Ascend the Mole Antonelliana and visit the Museo del Cinema.

A landmark on Turin’s skyline, the Mole Antonelliana has a distinctive square dome with a tall, thin spire. Built in the late 1800s, it was supposed to be a synagogue, but when the project went over budget, it was bought by the city. You can ascend to the top for panoramic views and visit the National Museum of Cinema, which is housed inside.

Admire more art at the Castello di Rivoli.

“A short drive out of town, you’ll find the town of Rivoli, where the once-crumbling castle has been converted into a stunning modern art museum, Castello di Rivoli,” explains Shapiro. “Marvel at the architecture, historical details, and transportive collection all under one roof.”

Best Shopping

Antica Farmacia Bosio

After you’ve admired its ornate facade, Shapiro recommends stocking up on Italian cosmetics and curatives at Antica Farmacia Bosio. Open since the 1700s, the working pharmacy has its own line of beauty and skincare products.

Latteria Bera

“For everyone in Turin, the historic Latteria Bera has been the ‘sisters’ dairy’ since 1918 in Via San Tommaso,” says De Bonis, going on to explain how one of its sweet specialties, a traditional creamy treat, is made. “This delight is prepared here, and it is a must: whipped cream as soft as a cloud, churned before your eyes and to be taken by the spoonful while walking through the streets of the center.” You can also buy cheese, charcuterie, chocolate, truffles, and other gourmet items to bring home.

Galleria Gilibert

Set inside the elegant Galleria Subalpina shopping arcade, this antiquarian bookshop sells rare books about literature, science, travel, medicine, and more. It also has an impressive selection of original vintage posters, prints, and maps from the 16th to 20th centuries.

Best Nightlife

Vermuttino

“For a hyperlocal experience, head to Vermuttino to try all things (and cocktails) vermouth in the city that created it,” Shapiro suggests. At this little bar in the Quadrilatero Romano quarter, you can taste rare and hard-to-find vermouths like Canone Occidentale and La Vagabonda.

Bar Cavour

Tucked inside Ristorante Del Cambio, this sophisticated bar has a sumptuous design and a full menu of cocktails. Settle onto one of the velvet sofas, surrounded by black boiserie and teal walls, and while away the evening sipping Negronis. Or if the weather is good, grab a table on the terrace of Farmacia Del Cambio, a café in a former pharmacy that’s also attached to the restaurant.

Best Restaurants

Caffè Baratti & Milano

“The historic cafés of Turin are true hidden gems,” says De Bonis. “The first capital of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, Turin called together politicians, luminaries, artists, and intellectuals of all kinds who met in these city salons, surrounded by elegant mirrors, porcelain, and wood paneling. Entering one, like Baratti & Milano, is like taking a step back in time to learn about past customs and traditions.”

Caffè Mulassano

“Caffè Mulassano is the height of gorgeous café culture with delicious tramezzini (sandwiches) too,” says Shapiro, recommending this historic café right across from Baratti & Milano.

Del Cambio

“If you’re going for broke, the luminous dining room and old-world service at Del Cambio is a delicious sampling of classic Torinese dishes (with the accompanying price tag),” Shapiro notes. Opened in 1757, the restaurant may be one of Turin’s most storied, but young chef Matteo Baronetto takes an innovative approach to fine dining.

Pastificio Defilippis

“The history of Pastificio Defilippis begins in 1872, when the chef of the House of Savoy, Domenico Toso, comes back to Turin and opens his laboratory,” says De Bonis, explaining that this is the place to try agnolotti, a kind of filled pasta typical of Piedmont. “Today, they are also a restaurant and still prepare a wide range of fresh egg pasta, classic or stuffed with selected ingredients and raw materials of the highest quality, fresh and seasonal products.”

Lao

“If you need a break from decadent northern Italian flavors, the handmade noodles at Lao represent the best Asian food I’ve had anywhere in Italy,” Shapiro says. Founded by Tina Dai, who grew up in Shanghai, this restaurant is also known for its fantastic dumplings.

Neighborhoods to Visit

Centro Storico

The Centro Storico (historic center) of Turin corresponds to the ancient Roman settlement established in the first century B.C.E. This is where you’ll find most of the main attractions, including the Royal Palace, the Egyptian Museum, the Teatro Regio, and the elegant cafés and shops in and around the Galleria Subalpina.

Vanchiglia

“I’m partial to Vanchiglia for its proximity to the attractions of the Centro and cool local spots,” says Shapiro. Just northeast of the Centro Storico, this hip district is nestled between the rivers Po and Dora Riparia.

San Salvario

South of the Centro Storico, this bustling neighborhood is where you’ll find the Parco del Valentino and the Medieval Village. Because this is where the Polytechnic University of Turin’s Faculty of Architecture is located, the area is a hub for students and a lively center of nightlife.

Best Time to Visit

“I adore Torino in the winter months,” says Shapiro. “Not only does the off-season mean far fewer tourists, but a November or January visit is the perfect time to enjoy bicerin, the espresso and chocolate hot drink native to the city that really demands a full café culture tour.”

Spring and fall are also great times to visit Turin and the surrounding area of Piedmont. Fall will be especially appealing for foodies, as the wineries in nearby Barolo and Barbaresco celebrate the harvest and the town of Alba hosts its annual White Truffle Fair.

How to Get There

Torino-Caselle Airport (TRN) is a small airport with flights to and from other cities in Europe, but if you’re flying from the U.S., the closest major airport is Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP), which is about a 90-minute drive away. Turin is also connected to the rest of Italy by train.

Related: Must-See Italian Cities: A Local’s Guide to 11 Essential Destinations

How to Get Around

Turin’s historic center is quite flat and walkable, so it’s easy to get around on foot or by bicycle.

Public Transit: Gruppo Torinese Trasporti (GTT) is the city’s public transit agency, which operates the metro, trams, and a network of buses. Tickets cost €1.90 and are valid for 100 minutes on a combination of metro, buses, and trams.

Taxi: Taxi Torino is the city’s taxi company. From the Torino airport, there’s a flat rate of €40 (plus possible surcharges for luggage and tolls), but usually fares are calculated based on time and distance traveled. Download the itTaxi app to find a cab.

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