Good morning! As you may know, I love to travel. I love to discover new things, get a taste of different cultures and see the most beautiful architecture. So, what would be a perfect country to go? Italy of course! Italian cities are absolutely beautiful, I would know, I've been in more than 11 of the bigger (if not biggest) cities in Italy and for today I would love to discover Turin with you!
The place where I would start the day is at the Mole Antonelliana. Not because it is the easiest place to get to, but because of the tourist information hut (it is literally a brown, wooden hut) that is located about 15 meters from the Mole Antonelliana. I suggest going there first. You'll get a free city map and directions for whatever building you want to visit next. They also know the best ice cream places of the town. And after you have been informed about the city you can start your sightseeing tour!
As I said, we are starting the day at the Mole Antonelliana, which is easily the tallest building in Turin. It was originally built as a synagogue, but it turned into the national museum of Cinema, it is the tallest museum in Europe. If you like that sort of thing, definitely take a look. We, however, went inside for something completely different: The panoramic elevator! The elevator is located in the centre of the building and is made out of glass so you can see the people on the ground floor getting smaller and smaller as you go up. Absolutely terrifying to me, but when I reached the top of the building, it was all worth it, because what you get is an absolutely spectacular view of the city.
It was a bit cloudy, which was a bit of a shame. If you spend several days in Turin, be sure to pick a day with clear weather to go up there. You can walk around the tower to get a 360° view of the city. It was awesome, but as you can tell by my face, I was still a bit afraid of the height.
After your visit at the Mole Antonelliana, you can take Via Brà (a road) to your next stop. Which I believe should be Piazza Castello. At the Castello square you'll find two stunning palaces, palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) and Palazzo Madama, and also the most beautiful stairs in the world. The palaces are absolutely great and you will want to look around for a while.
The reason why there are two palaces on this square, both in Baroque-style, is because it is said that Christina of France didn't like her husband all that much (he didn't like her either, so yeah..). Therefore she chose the palace next to the royal palace to be her residence. But that is not all, the palace also got a make-over because Christina moved in. Or rather, half of the palace did.
As you can see, half of the palace is still in 15th century-style and the other half is built in the 18th century. I couldn't find a reason for this anywhere, but from a tourist-point-of-view it looks awesome. But before you walk around the palace to get a better view of the medieval side, head on inside to see the most beautiful staircase in the world (or rather the most beautiful staircase I have ever seen).
It's beautiful, isn't it? I loved walking up and down the staircase, just glancing at all of the details and gorgeous craftman's work. And just a little hint for you: the entrance is free!
You can walk around Palazzo Madama to get a beautiful view of the medieval side and the war-monument. If you get tired of that you can cross the street to enter the shopping area. Big brands like H&M and Stradivarius are to be found here. At the end is the beautiful Piazza San Carlo. I was very shocked to find out that I don't have photographs of the piazza. I only have the next one which is from a far.
To explain the picture: The shops are on both sides of the streets underneath the arcades (where the Italian flags are). The statue in the middle of the picture is Victor Emanuelle II and is also the middle of the Piazza. The marble buildings left and right next to Victor are twin-churches. Each one of them represents different times in architecture. It is in fact the perfect square to snap hundreds of pictures, which is very ironic, I'm aware of that, but in my defence I like to see myself more as a videographer rather than photographer. And I have, in fact, lots of video footage from that square. Also the shopping area continues after the San Carlo square.
Last but not least you can walk through these lovely little streets to go to our final destination. Which is the Santuario Basilica La Consolata, which most tourists can agree on that this is the most beautiful church in Turin.
As you can see it is not a very big church and it is a bit hidden between all these other buildings, but man, it is gorgeous.
The inside is so rich and beautiful! The church also has a myth. It has been said that one day a blind pilgrim came to the church to pray for Mary. After he was done praying, his sight was restored by Mary. It is
definitely a nice story and is still believed by the hundreds of people that visit this church to pray every year.
So that is it for visiting Turin! For some general tips:
- We did everything in one day, by foot. Busses and such aren't able to get in the centre of the cities anyway, so don't bother. The longest distance we had to walk was 20 minutes. However if walking is hard on you, try renting a bicycle, it'll make things easier on you.
- You should be able get a fairly good place to sleep for less than 50 euros a night at a hotel. No need to spend more than that when you're on a budget.
- Most things you'll visit in Turin are free, which is very special in Italy. The Mole Antonelliana elevator cost 5 euros (if you're a student). I believe it was 11 euros for a combination ticket for the elevator and the museum.
- I would love to give you suggestions for places to eat in Turin, but to be very honest with you, we went to MacDonald’s.. We also ate a McFlurrie instead of Italian ice cream. We surely did better in the other cities we visited, so keep an eye out for that!
I hope these tips and suggestions are helpful to you and that you'll consider visiting Turin. I enjoyed putting this together and if you have any more questions regarding Turin, just ask me. I'd be happy to help! And for now, stay save and travel on!
♥ Love, Vivian
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