Italy Part I: Turino
Crossing over the Swiss border, our first stop was in Turino. We spent 1.5 days here and did as much as we could. It was on this leg of the trip where we encountered the most rain but even then, it lasted about a half a day. Let's relive this journey by first talking about the food!
RESTAURANTS & COFFEE SHOPS
We arrived in Turino late in the evening. Once we checked into our hotel we set out to find some dinner. We came across Banco Vini E Alimenti. It's a small restaurant with communal tables and had a very laid back vibe. We ordered a few small dishes to share (well, I didn't indulge in the beautiful tartar pictured). Not pictured were the fried anchovies and polenta fries. Dan treated him to a nice glass of wine after the long drive from Switzerland.
Although it was really tough not being able to eat any of the delicious meats and cheeses while in Italy, I was able to make up for it in pizza. Dan had noted La Pinseria, a walk-up pizza place he had read about online. The pizza was delicious. I liked that it was not dough-y and it was super flavorful. Not to mention, it was fairly cheap (I believe it was 6 euro a pizza #TrendyEats).
One of my favorite spots was Caffe Al Bicerin, another Dan find. This cafe is known for its bicerin - a typical hot drink of Torino made of coffee, chocolate and cream. It was delicious!! A must if you ever find yourself in Torino. This picture was taken right before it started to rain...
Dan made a pit stop into Mollica, a sandwich shop that uses locally produced ingredients. Dan was like a kid in a candy store, picking out his meats, cheeses and bread. Not only was the sandwich delicious (according to Dan) it was pretty inexpensive, as well. Dan gives it a two thumbs up.
Tre Galline, known to have the best raw meat in Turino (noticing a theme here??), was where we dined on our last night in the city. Luckily, there were plenty of other items on the menu that are pregnant-lady friendly. The restaurant had a cozy feel to it and the service was wonderful. The food was just as outstanding. The tartar pictured was Dan's and he looked like he was in heaven while eating it. Safe to say that he loved it. For our mains, I had the traditional torinesi ravioli and Dan opted for the duck leg confit. Four thumbs up on this entire meal!
Pastiglie Leone are famous candies that originated from Torino. I actually found them at the Caffe Al Bicerin and bought a bunch of them. I mean, how cute are the tins? They were the perfect souvenir gifts for my girlfriends, not to mention, the size made it easy to bring back on my carry-on! Not only are they pretty, they are tasty too! While we are on the subject of candy, there were two chocolate shops we stopped in that we really liked (and also picked up more souvenirs for our family and friends): Stratta and Guido Gobino. At Stratta, I picked up some gummy candies for myself and some beautifully packaged candies to bring home. There were pastries and other desserts available for purchase. Guido Gobino is known for their Giandujotti, made from the hazelnuts of the Piedmonte region. The chocolates are super smooth with a silky texture. These were a hit with those who we gifted them to.
SITES
The first morning in Torino was a rainy one. What better rainy day activity than ducking into a museum? We had scoped out the Museo Nazionale del Cinema and lucky us, our hotel had given us free passes. The museum was very interesting, walking you through the history of movies and taking you behind the scenes of what goes into making a movie. The main attraction of the museum is the rooftop. You can take an elevator all the way to the top and get a great view of the city withe the Alps in the background. Even on a rainy day, the views were still pretty darn good! Photo cred goes to the hubs!
I love finding open air markets when traveling in new cities. Walking through the markets always gives me a sense of the neighborhood and people. On Saturday morning, we went to the Porto Palazzo, one of Europe's largest open air food market. It was so lively and busy with people out and about doing their weekend shopping. We couldn't buy much, since we were about to get in the car and head to our next destination. It does make me sad that we don't have markets like this in Boston.
The last stop we made on our way out of Torino is the original Eataly. The space was almost overwhelming with so much to look at from specialty Italian food products to all the fresh meats and cheeses at the various counters. There was also plenty of restaurants that had the most amazing looking foods. We grabbed a few light bites to bring with us, which made me a very happy car passenger as we headed out of town.
STAY
During our two night stay in Torino, we stayed at the NH Collection Torino Piazza Carlina. It was in a great location and the room was spacious with a modern and minimal design aesthetic. Right outside the door to our room was a balcony that overlooked an interior courtyard and lounge chairs available to hang out on. There's a mini tour of our room on my IG "Italy" highlights reel if you want to see more. Breakfast was included, which was nice - one less meal to not have to worry about. This hotel was the perfect place to lay my pretty little head down each night.
So that's it for Torino. Next up, the Piedmonte region!