Holidays rentals in Turin Book Direct

The centre of  Turin was mainly built on a  regular plan in the 18th cent & most of its buildings belong to that period - for instance, the Univer­sity, the Palazzo Carignano, and the magnificent Superga built by Juvara on the left bank of the Po to contain the tombs of the kings of  Sardinia.    

Turin is a very busy town, with fine hotels, elegant restaurants, and good shops, but its outstanding monument is the Egyptian Museum.

The greater part of the city is built on the left bank of the swiftly flowing river Po and from the quays and hills there are fine views of the snow-covered Alps that curve round in the distance from the north and west.

Gastronomically Turin has much to recommend it, dishes are often served with the famous white truffles of the region.

The bagna cauda (butter, oil, anchovies, garlic, truffles, and cheese) is not found elsewhere; and there arc mountain trout and crayfish.

The wines mostly red include Barolo, Barbera and Freisa. Some regard Nebbiole as the most acceptable of Piedmontese reds. Cortese ia the out-standing local white. The sparkling Asti Spumante is a sweet, fragrant wine, made from the muscat grape. Moscato d'Asti is not so fine. For dry, sparkling wine, one must seek out brand names, and expect to pay twice as much as for Asti.

In the far north the valle d'Aosta is bounded by Mont Blanc (15,771 ft) on the French side and the Matterhorn (Cervino, or Cervin, 14,683 ft) on the Swiss side. This broad valley, largely French-speaking with a tradi­tion of Protestantism, has been autonomous since 1047. Scenically it is superb, and at intervals there are Roman remains, medieval castles, and primi­tive little churches.

In some places, such as the winter-sports resort of Gressoney, the women wear elaborate traditional costume. South of the valley is a National Park for alpine flowers and animals such as the chamois, the marmot, and the mountain goat.