Turin

Turin is an often overlooked city in Italy. Less ancient than Rome and arguably less pretty than Florence, I was surprised to learn than Turin is only the 8th most visited city in Italy, despite being the countries first capital.

Regardless, being so close to the city whilst staying in Santo Stefano we expected to visit a few times.

Always time for gelato!

Trip 1

We were excited to arrive on the train without being weighed down by heavy bags and an immediate need to get located and find out where we are going.

The first thing I noticed about the city was how wide the streets were. This wasn't like many other cities in Italy, grown around narrow, winding roads. Turin's grid design and art nouveau architecture made it feel larger and sort of Parisian.

Belle Epoque exhibition

We followed a walking route to help up get our bearings for when we inevitably return with children in tow. There was a distinct lack of tourists, which really gave the impression you were seeing a real city at work.

Glorious Galleria Subalpina

Being the home of the Savoy (the former Italian royal family) Turin is home to a palace, large gardens and wonderful museums. The Egyptian Museum is famed for being the oldest in the world as it was founded in the 1800's before the excavations which brought Egypt to the masses. Inside is an impressive collection - second only to Cairo - which includes mummified cats, tombs and scrolls from the book of the dead.

Coffee stop!

We made time for coffee in Caffe Mulassano, nestled in the porticos of Piazza Castello and stood in wonder at the Galleria Subalpina which looked like it was plucked straight from an art nouveau poster. It was lined with historic book and antique stores and its glass ceiling flooded the space with golded light.

In the afternoon we walked towards the river Po and Piazza Vittorio Veneto, stopping for a wonder around a belle epoque exhibition and having grown very fold of the city.

Looking forward to our next visit!