My Turin Visit - Piazza Castello, Galleria Subalpina and Palazzo Carignano

Hello everyone. I would like to tell you about Turin, which I visited last winter. This place is also called the non touristic capital of Italy and this city simply cannot get over its lost capital status. By the way, it is the fourth most important city in the whole country. This is the birthplace of espresso, vermouth, Eskimo ice cream and many Italian chocolates.

Until 1908 the highest building in the world was located here. It hosts a tremendous number of royal residences and by the way, Turin had the chance to be the capital of Italy for a full four years in the 19th century. Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy, was precisely from the Piedmont region.

There are amazing museums here. The Automobile Museum, the Cinema Museum and most importantly, the largest Egyptian Museum in the world. And it is famous not only for its museums with never ending porticos and large squares, but also for its very beautiful buildings. When you come here interesting stories, architecture and of course delicious traditional Italian dishes await you.

I came to Turin to see all the museums and all the palaces. I was most curious about the Egyptian museum. Traces of Egypt are everywhere here. According to a legend, Turin was founded in the fifteenth century bce by an Egyptian prince who came here and felt at home. The Po River passing right by reminded him of the Nile and it was precisely he who established not only the cult of Isis here, but also the cult of the bull Apis. Perhaps that is why the traditional symbol of Turin is still a bull today.

Another legend says that Turin was founded after Phaethon, the son of the Sun God, fell here with his chariot. However, there is only one thing we know for certain. the city was founded in the third century bce by the Taurini tribes living in the vicinity, which is where the name Turin comes from. The Romans changed the name of this place to Colonia Julia Augusta Taurinorum and even an ancient Roman theater has survived from that period to the present day. This structure is even older than the Colosseum, although it has not been preserved as well. The best preserved ancient Roman gates in Italy have also managed to survive to the present day.

The tradition of decorating the city with drinking water fountains may also date back to that period. Now there are more than 800 fountains scattered all over Turin and the water there is really delicius because the Alps are right next to us.

Here history and modern life coexist in a very harmonious way. Perhaps the true magic of the city lies here. People are busy with their own affairs, riding their skateboards, driving their cars... In short, it is as if Turin is not a touristic city at all.

You can still encounter local people in Turin's elegant historical cafes, which I think is one of its most important features. In other words these cafes and places are not left to the mercy of tourists. On the contrary the true heart of Turin beats here. For example, we dropped by a place opened in 1858, whose owners invented the symbol of Italian Cremino chocolates when chocolate purchases from Britain were banned during the Napoleonic occupation. That was when they thought of producing chocolates from hazelnuts. Hazelnuts grow around Turin. Nutella and many more delicious desserts are still produced here. A cafe dating back to 1760 also continues to exist in Turin. Here, Bicerin, the traditional drink of Turin, is served. A hot drink made of espresso, chocolate and cream.

By the way Turin is considered the chocolate capital of Italy. Because right here in 1560, the Duke of Savoy served a cup of hot chocolate for the first time to celebrate the moving of the capital to Turin. However, Gianduiotto chocolates, which are greatly loved all over Italy, were also invented here. These chocolates consist of cocoa beans, crushed hazelnuts produced nearby and of course sugar.

Another place that impressed me was Caffè Mulassano, where even the kings of Italy liked to stop by. The story of the cafe begins in the 19th century and in the 20th century, Tramezzino, the unique sandwich was invented here. There is even a clock here that never shows the correct time. It has a single hour hand and can be operated by pressing a button. If a group of friends cannot share the bill, customers can ask the waiter to press this button and whoever gets the higher number by luck pays the bill.😁 I must say that the bill is not very small either!

Then we took a walk in the city and strolled through the streets, starting from the main square located directly opposite the Royal Palace, namely Piazza Castello. The feature of Turin is that there are many porticos here. The weather here is really not very good in winter, it rains often. That is why luxury galleries in the French style emerged. Turin and France have always been very close to each other. Here great respect is still shown to the French accent and even to my slight inability to pronounce the letter "r".

This is the most luxurious gallery, called Galleria Subalpina. Because the entire region around Turin, formerly the Duchy of Savoy, was called the "Subalpine" region. This is a typical example of the 19th century style. That unique texture of luxury is preserved. These galleries were created so that aristocrats could walk at all times and in all weather conditions, meet and visit aristocratic cafes, including the theater inside.

It is really very difficult to get lost in Turin. The point is, all the streets run either parallel or perpendicular to each other. Here lies the legacy of the Roman Empire known as the Grid plan. So all these streets are more than 2000 years old, but the porticos decorating them provide great convenience both in the summer heat and in bad weather. It rains often here in winter and sometimes it even snows. That is why these galleries are a real lifesaver and ornament of the city.

We saw a gallery built in an eclectic style at the beginning of the 20th century. On it, you can see both Baroque elements and the Art Nouveau style that was newly emerging at that time.

Although the historical places are more reminiscent of Paris, Rome made the greatest contribution to the architecture of the city. In the 17th century, the Baroque style reached here as well. Two magnificent churches located here are a great example of this. The absence of straight lines and right angles, emotionality, curves, dynamism and theatricality not only in sculptures or decorations, but in the architectural lines themselves are characteristic of the Baroque style.

Also just like in Rome, there are charming inner courtyards in Turin. It is impossible to see the beauty of the city without looking inside them. Because for example, these buildings look extremely plain from the outside. For instance, in a private courtyard andrea Salvatori's phrase "The starry sky within me, the moral law above me" has been brought to life. A clothing boutique and a cafe are located here.

We also saw another privately owned courtyard. Currently, an institution is located here, but in 1786, Carpano's factory was located here. Carpano is the person who invented the world's first vermouth, that is wine fortified with alcohol added with wormwood and other spices. So the first place belongs precisely to him, not to Martini or Cinzano.

In my opinion the most luxurious courtyard is still in Palazzo Carignano, the royal residence of the House of Savoy. Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy, was born right here and even his bedroom has been preserved. This is the vividest example of the Italian Baroque style belonging to the second half of the 17th century. Look at how it differs from the Roman Baroque style. Above all with its materials. While everything was covered with marble in Rome, bricks were used here. However, it is also seen that expensive materials are actually not needed for such luxurious forms. And it is no coincidence that I compare this place with Rome. Architect Guarino Guarini was inspired by Bernini.

In 1861 it was declared in this exact building that Italy was unified. In other words, at that moment, Italy ceased to be a confederation of independent states and became a single kingdom. However, the monument here, contrary to what you might guess, is not the monument of the first king. It is a monument erected in honor of his father, Carlo Alberto. He of course did not support the idea of Italian unification, but he nevertheless enacted the famous Statuto Albertino, the new liberal democratic constitution that shared power between the king and the two chambers. Thus, he laid the groundwork for the unification of Italy and the adoption of general Italian laws.

Here more modern buildings belonging to the late 19th century now appear, dominated by a neoclassical style. We saw the National Library of Turin, one of the most important libraries in Italy.

Later we took a break at a cafe. The cafe opened 130 years ago. Aristocrats and intellectuals used to meet here in the past. It is quite interesting that local people still like to stop by here today to drink a cup of coffee or vermouth.

As for food we went to a traditional Piedmontese restaurant. Appetizers were placed in front of everyone on the tables. They had appetizers such as raw meat tartar, Olivier salad, Vitello Tonnato and baked cornmeal with cheese on top. An we were only able to taste the main course at the traditional restaurant. The next day we stopped by a restaurant serving gourmet cuisine. To be honest, the food here was of course more interesting, but the taste was the same because it was also traditional cuisine.

I will continue to tell you about my subsequent adventures in Turin.