Turin – a great place for walking and shopping. Paved boulevards depart from Piazza Castello, which housed numerous shops, cafes, bars, pizzerias and restaurants. In the northwest direction, the longest shopping street of the city departs from the square – Via Garibaldi, in the south – shopping street Via Roma, in the center of which Piazza San Carlo is located with some of the oldest Turin cafes, and in the southeast – Via Po street , which rests on Piazza Vittorio Veneto, famous for its cafes with beautiful views of the Po riverfront.
According to BITTRANSLATORS.COM, there are many attractions in the vicinity of Turin. On a hill outside the city risesthe 18th century Superga church is the tomb of members of the Savoy royal dynasty. The church was built by order of Victor Amadeus II, who, during the siege of the city by French and Spanish troops in the early 18th century, promised to build the church if the battle was won. All Piedmontese kings are buried in this basilica, starting with Victor Amedeus II. You can get to the top of the hill on a tourist tram along the railway laid along the hillside. Turin is surrounded on all sides by the residences of the Dukes of Savoy, which, together with the Turin palaces, are protected by UNESCO. The Royal Villa of Stupinigi is located 10 km southwest of Turin .. It was built in 1729-1734 as a hunting lodge for the dukes. Now it houses the Museum of Applied Arts. Equally interesting are the castles in Rivoli of the 18th century, which was never completed, Moncalieri, where the kings Victor Emmanuel I and Victor Amadeus III died, Venaria (one of the largest royal residences in the world), Racconigi, Aglie, Pollenzo and Govon. Turin hosted the Winter Olympics in 2006. The competitions were held on the slopes of the Via Latteia ski region, which in Italian means “Milky Way”, located 70 km to the west Turin in the valleys of Valle di Susa and Cison. More than 400 km of ski slopes and 50 km of flat skiing have been laid here, and 92 lifts are operating, and in the course of preparation for the Olympics, the ski area was significantly modernized. The center of Via Latteia is the resort of Sestriere – one of the most famous European ski resorts. A little aside is the ski resort of Bardonecchia. It is located in the western part of the Valle di Susa near the border with France at an altitude of 1312 m. In 2006, as part of the Winter Olympics, snowboarding competitions were held here.
Also from Turin you can get to the Valle d’Aosta located to the north- a favorite area for skiing in northern Italy. From all sides the valley is surrounded by majestic mountains, among which are the highest mountains of Western Europe: Mont Blanc (4807 m), Matterhorn (4478 m), as well as Monte Rosa (4634 m) and Gran Paradiso (4061 m), the slopes of which territory of Piedmont. There are about three dozen ski centers in the local mountains: Courmayeur and La Thuile at the foot of Mont Blanc, Pila at Aosta, resorts of Cervinia on the slopes of the Matterhorn, the resorts of Mount Rosa (among them the resort of Alanya located in the northern part of Piedmont) and the resort villages of the Gran Paradiso National Park (part of the park is located on the territory of Piedmont) with beautiful flat trails. Valle d’Aosta has a shared ski pass that allows you to ski on 718 km of slopes served by 180 ski lifts.
The central and southern part of Piedmont offers a rich excursion program. The town of Ivrea is located 55 km northeast of Turin, surrounded by small lakes and alpine ridges.. A medieval castle has been preserved here, which was built of red brick in the 14th century. One of its towers was destroyed by lightning in 1676 and was never rebuilt. Also interesting in the city is the Dome Cathedral, which was supposedly built in the 4th century AD. as a pagan temple. Ivrea is known for its February carnival, during which the “Battle of the Oranges” takes place. The inhabitants of the city participate in the “battle”. They are divided into several teams, members of different teams throw oranges at each other, and several hundred kilograms of oranges are spent on this action. This tradition has its roots in the Middle Ages, when, according to legend, one poor girl, not wanting to spend the night with the duke, cut off his head. The severed head is now symbolized by an orange.
A little to the east is the city of Vercelli. Even before our era, the Ligurian settlement of Vercelae was located on this site, which was later conquered by the Romans. The ruins of the amphitheater and the hippodrome, which have survived to this day, testify to the presence of the Romans here. The most beautiful building in the city is the Church of St. Andrew of the 13th century. Today Vercelli is the main producer of rice in Italy, here you can taste the local version of risotto – panissa dish.
Vercelli is adjacent to another ancient city, which was also supposedly founded by the Ligurians – Novara. Its main attraction is the 16th century Basilica of San Gaudenzio, whose 121 m high dome was designed in the 19th century by the architect Antonelli.
The southern part of Piedmont is known for its gastronomic traditions. Here, on the hillsides of Monferrato and Langhe, there are extensive vineyards, this part of the region is home to fine Italian wines, including Barolo, Barbera, Gavi and Astisparkling wines, as well as Cinzano and Martini vermouths. In addition, this area of Piedmont is home to the white truffle, the most expensive mushroom in the world. The center of the wine valley of Piedmont is the city of Asti . From Asti you can go on a trip through the hills of Monferrato and Langhi: to the town of Monferrato, which is located near the Abbey of Vezzolano (8th century), the city of Alba – the birthplace of the white truffle, the city of Cinzano, where the Italian vermouth of the same name is produced, the city of Alessandria with the Sacro Monte di Crea monastery complex of the 16th century, and the thermal resort Acqui Terme , the healing properties of whose sources have been known since Roman times.
To the west of the hills of Monferrato and Langhi, at the foot of the Maritime and Cote Alps, is the city of Cuneo. It is surrounded by vast valleys that house the medieval castles of Castello Grinzane Cavour, Castello Barolo, Castello Manta and Castello di Lagnasco. In Cuneo itself, Piazza Galimberti, the Palazzo Oldofreddi, the Cathedral, the Church of San Francesco with the Municipal Museum and the churches of San Ambrogio, Santa Maria, Santa Croce and San Clair are interesting. South of Cuneo at an altitude of 1400 m is ski resort Limone. Among tourists, this resort is known for being located very close to the Ligurian coast. The resort has 80 km of ski slopes (mostly “red” slopes) and 6 km of flat skiing, there are 22 lifts. Through Limone passes one of the most interesting mountain routes in Italy – Grande Traversata delle Alpi with a length of 633 km. It starts not far from here at the foothills of the Maritime Alps in the city of Viosene, stretches through the Maritime and Cote Alps, which are located in the western part of Piedmont on the border with France, goes around Piedmont from the north, capturing the second European peak – Monte Rosa (4634 m), and ends in the northeastern part of the region, where the picturesque lakes Maggiore and Horta. In order to complete this entire route, you need to spend 47 days.
