Day 2,812 of Traveling the World | Turin (Torino), Italy | October 12, 2025
Jan and Mike
With palaces, churches, museums, piazzas, chocolate shops, cafes, arcades, and history – everywhere – Turin is a city to be reckoned with. She’s not giving up any power, glory, or titles to other, more well-known Italian cities.
From 1861 to 1865, Turin was the first capital of the Kingdom of Italy. Thus, you can barely walk a block without running into grandiose buildings and very decorative palazzos, gardens, and churches. It is most impressive. We only came to Turin because we had never visited the city before. We thought it would be modest…a place for some quiet days. Impossible. No modesty here! But we will say that compared to other Italian cities we have been to, there were fewer people. We suppose not having the press of Florence, Milan, or Rome, it doesn’t attract as many visitors.
The first church we visited, Our Lady of Consolation, was not to be believed. It is decorated with lots of gold, paintings, and statuary. But we also then visited the Palazzo Reale, the Royal Palace, and the story is identical there – gold and more gold everywhere.
Chocolate and Turin have a love affair going way back – to 1560. Turin chocolate makers discovered how to turn chocolate and other ingredients into solid bars. “Meditation bars” are suggested: you don’t eat a piece of chocolate, but you put it in your mouth and think about it, taste it, discover all of its flavors as it slowly melts and dissolves on your tongue. Turin makers also conceived of the famous Bicerin – a cup of hot coffee, cacao, and cream, which can be found at every coffee shop here.
Our delight as we travel is always aimless wandering to see small alleyways and crannies that would be missed if we only did “the greatest hits” in a city. We stumbled upon delightful small shops, interesting buildings (like the symbol of Turin, the Mole Antonelliana), and fun & whimsy, the true mark of a culture. It was a magical city for us and will be on our list for a return visit!
The Basilica di Santa Maria Della Consolazione (subsequently called “The Basilica”).
A glimpse down into the Basilica’s crypt.
A group was celebrating Mass when we were there. To our surprise, when Mass was over, the priest led them in a Marian song and cheers! We asked a woman what was happening, and she only spoke Spanish. Apparently, they are from Argentina, and they are dedicated to Our Lady of Consolation, so they make pilgrimages to other countries where there are churches of that name.
Talk about unique architecture for its day! The Mole Antonelliana was completed in 1889. It was once the tallest masonry building in Europe. Today, it is a symbol of Turin and houses the National Museum of Cinema. It was close to the Museum of Television, which we had tried to get into. Unfortunately, we were unable to visit it. When we tried to enter, the man at the door, who spoke little English, said it was closed for a few hours. When we asked why, he searched for the right word and finally said there was a “manifestation” in Turin. We never did figure out what he was talking about, but we kept walking, looking at other sights.
The Galleria Subalpina, which opened in 1874.
This bakery in the Galleria provided a delicious, welcome Bicerin-and-pastry break.
Palazzo Carignano, with Vittorio Emanuele’s crest and name memorialized.
Inside the palazzo, they are refreshing the facade. As you can see, the left side has been painted with orange highlights, while the right side is awaiting its turn.
A lovely courtyard and memorial to….vermouth!
The interesting rear of Palazzo Madama. The front looks quite conventional. We didn’t tour it, but we were told that inside, below ground level, is a well-preserved Roman arch, which was a city gate. We were told by a local that at the time the Roman Empire fell, Turin wasn’t growing, so the old Roman stones were mostly left in place rather than being taken for other construction as they were in surrounding cities. So in Turin, there are more well-preserved ruins than in most places.
A pretty building with towers above and an arcade below.
The arcades are beloved, as they are warm(er) in winter, cooler in summer, and provide shelter from the rain. Torino has 18 km of arcades!
A typical street view.
Galleria San Federico, relatively “modern,” as it dates to 1933.
Its central dome.
Some of the smaller streets in Old Town were festooned with banners and flags, like this one.
A building corner with some fun neon.
View of the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele I over the Po River.
The Piazza Vittorio Veneto, adjacent to the bridge.
So many signs, proverbs, t-shirts, and messages are in English all over the world, regardless of the native language.
What an unusual paint job!…a very shiny object.
A cute, tiny shop. This street had many shops this size, just large enough for a small business.
…and another, named Novena, in rich autumn hues.
The grand entrance to the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace).
This is the oh-so-gold Medallion Room.
Just walking along the hallway….same ol’ same ol’.
You’d feel pretty special having dinner in the Royal Dining Room.
This pretty hallway now hosts an art museum.
When you turn into this room from a very plain hallway, this view takes your breath away. It is the huge and very elaborate Chapel of the Holy Shroud of Turin, with a high dome, statues, and lots of gold. Very dramatic!
From a distance down the street, this building looked like it had architectural waves along the facade. But in the full afternoon sun, we saw that the clever “waves” were engraved with words – “more” in five languages. We passed it again at sunset, and sadly, the words were gone.
Another cute storefront – “The song of the rooster.”
A sculpture shop featured this bust of Marty Feldman (Igor) in Young Frankenstein.
If you don’t know who Mr. Magoo is – and why that makes this funny – look it up!!
We don’t know how these socks are staying so comically upright. There are no wires – maybe a whole lotta starch??
And we end with….Dr. Fake. “Fake” seems to be THE word of the 21st century.
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