Buzzing and elegant, Torino is 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.
History, culture & attractions - Torino was the first capital of Italy in 1861 and to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italy, the city and the entire region have planned many surprises for 2011: the opening of new cultural venues and green areas, the reopening of historical monuments that have been restored and brought back to their original magnificence, and a calendar of numerous and varied initiatives. 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.
Food - The heart of the region's gastronomy, and with a history of great chefs, Torino is the city 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.
Nightlife - At night, Torino offers a thousand opportunities to meet people, dance and stay out until late at night at bars, discotheques and wine cellars that are open late in the old town centre, the Quadrilatero Romano, the Murazzi district as well as those of Borgo Dora and San Salvario.
Sports - For sports lovers also, Torino offers incredible possibilities: avant-garde sports facilities in which to test oneself or watch competitions ranging from soccer to swimming, from basketball to athletics, not to mention the ice events. Torino is also the city where major international sporting events take place every year that have continued since the XX Winter Olympic Games , the event that changed Torino by bringing it to the forefront of world attention. Today it is possible to live again the passion of those days by visiting the first Museo Olimpico in Italy housed in the Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali in via Giolitti 36.
More info: www.turismotorino.org
