Hi Tom
A favourite city - indeed arguably my favourite city in the world.
Plenty to see there, with museums quirky enough to greatly appeal or not appeal. A favourite was Museo Pietro Micca near Stazione Porta Susa, the nuseum itself is small and quite dull… it’s the guided tour of the countermining tunnels that is the highlight.
Wine bars aplenty, but over the river near Gran Madre church (wedding scene from original Italian Job) is favourite early evening haunt. Nice atmosphere most evenings though Friday gets a little busy. Unlike most places in Torino, no free aperitivo snacks except some giant grissini, but usually a decent selection by the glass. There is a new modern place on via Lagrange that seemed popular, but maybe a bit more vibrant than I like, though they do regular themed tastings that looked very interesting indeed. RossoRubino also worth considering, but there are many more to choose from.
Likewise loads of wine shops and I’d say there is no definitive shop unless really short on time and then Eataly near the Lingotto has that convenience factor (FWIW I am not a fan, but still use it is a ‘gap-filler’ (for food and wine) at the end of a stay, to fill in gaps where I’ve not found what I want at the usually much better specialists. Grandi Bottiglie have been very successful with a mix of older wines bought at auctions etc plus a decent enough range of current vintages. Nice family who own it, and I fondly recall sitting & chatting with them at their original via Natale Palli shop (they’ve now moved to bigger premises and have a 2nd shop). It’s a city though that rewards prepping a number of them, or just keeping eyes peeled, as I’m more likely to buy a bottle here, two bottles there, than find a single shop where I buy everything.
Restaurants also very good indeed, from decent & modest to rather fancy indeed (though we’re not patrons of such places). A special ‘wine-lovers’ recommendation for Tre Galli, which used to be more of a drinking wine bar, but now is much more a modest but surprisingly good place to eat, with a great, extensive wine list including back vintages. Not fancy, but after a hiatus of a decade or so, we’ve rediscovered its merits. The sister restaurant Tre Galline ought to be better still for food, but we’ve not been.
Vitel etonne has varied greatly over the years, and the wine cellar shop is now long gone, but when on form can be great for a cosy little place. Often a good place for early evening aperitivi (a major feature of the city) but again this has varied from a modest but tasty plate, to a time where the chef was showcasing their talent and the buffet of that era was heavenly. No guarantee whether it will be great or banal or somewhere inbetween.
There are so many, it’s difficult to pick out some specifics, though oddly I’ll suggest a place I’ve yet to go to (but have been recommended it) : C’era una volta on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II which is meant to be very traditional in look and food. Perhaps an ideal option for a first visit?
The city easy to walk around with extensive porticoed streets and unusually for Italy, an ordered grid layout to the centre. The bus/tram system extensive and useful (we tend to buy Giornaliero - day tickets, but there are loads of options to suit how much you’ll use them). The bus/tram route map is a wonder of complexity and the paper copies seemingly so rare that the GTT office themselves never have a copy. Try in a tabaccheria on the offchance they have one, or stand in front of the ones at the stops looking confused like the rest of us. They should make a board game out of it!
Loads more to recommend, but anything in particular you’re looking for?
Regards
Ian
. This certainly gets us started.