Torino, Italy
Turin is the city I have experienced the most, at least in the last 10 years.
With its prestigious past it was one of the most important royal cities in Italy. As a consequence, it is rich in historical monuments and buildings.
In fact, since the late 19th century the city has undergone a transformation into an industrial site. Hence being the subject of a great wave of immigration from southern Italy. Today it fascinates me with its seventeenth-century architecture but also with its post-industrial sites and traces.
European Baroque triumphed in these areas and brilliant architects were the main characters of its art. Postindustrial buildings renovated host fairs and cultural and gastronomic events.
Torino is Italy’s chocolate capital.
It’s definitely specialized in traditional pastries of a very small size. Pastry shops and historic cafes offer sweet specialties including the “bicerin” a coffee with slightly fortified chocolate.
Torino is the city I have experienced the most.
There is no shortage of art and photography exhibitions in Torino, ever. Among them the annual contemporary art fair Artissima and the Camera gallery, curated and sponsored by the Leica brand.
Cozy flee markets and a real cult for what is old and vintage in a strictly European way make me think of Torino as a well of images and frames from other eras.
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But the suburban areas are now completely incorporated into the urban fabric.
And they have a post-industrial look sometimes decayed, sometimes renovated with extreme respect for what was. The post-industrial neighborhoods are inhabited by young people and visited by the curious like me.
Torino Italy and its history
Turin took its urban structure from the Romans who conquered the region in the second century B.C. They established their camp in the area that with time became a town that maintained the checkerboard plan typical of “Castrum.”
Half of the inhabitants of the entire Piedmont region reside in the metropolitan city of Turin. Partly flat and partly mountainous, in its territory we find the western Alps. Its life flows to the rhythm of the Po, the river that receives tributaries from all over the region and flows through it.
Castles and palaces are certainly not lacking in the city, once a realm.
Those who love art and culture in Turin have endless opportunities to fill their eyes with the wonders. The ones that prefer crowd bathing will appreciate the Porta Palazzo Market, the largest in Europe. Porta Palazzo is a true sensory journey where the scents of spices and mint intoxicate the sense of smell. And the colors of fruits and vegetables hearten the sight and the calls of vendors stun the ear.
As a photographer Torino is always immersed in a great source of inspiration.
Urban tourism offers ample opportunities for recreation and entertainment in Turin. Click here for upcoming events planned in Torino.