Turin is the Italian home of chocolate. Visitors can now join special walking tours to some of the city's finest cafes and chocolate shops.
Turismo Torino is offering Tasty Turin tours until 7 April 2007. They run every Saturday at 6 pm, taking visitors on a walk through the heart of the city to see some of its stunning historic cafès and pastry shops. Tours cost € 8,00, - and those all important tastings are included.
The Tasty Turin itinerary takes in Baroque buildings, workshops, confectioners’ shops and historical cafés.
The tour runs from Piazza San Carlo, which is home to one of the city’s best known cafes – Caffe San Carlo. Although this isn’t on the tour itself , it’s worth popping in later just to see its flamboyant interior, with chandeliers, wood and marble. It was once a meeting place for some of the main figures of the Risorgimento. In later years it attracted stars like James Stewart, Ava Gardner and Brigitte Bardot. The tour itself takes you to some of the piazza’s other highlights: Caffè Torino, which has preserved its early twentieth century décor, Paissa, a famous food and wine shop, and Stratta, a confectionery shop which always has stunning – and mouthwatering window displays. They’re particularly good at Easter.
The Tasty Turin tour then moves on to Palazzo Carpano, one of the most beautiful buildings in Torino and the headquarters of the company renowned for its vermouth. Next stop is Piazza Carignano - home to Caffè Pepino, where the famous Pinguino (ice-cream on a stick) was invented, the Teatro Carignano and the famous Ristorante Del Cambio, established in 1757.
The walk continues towards Piazza Carlo Alberto, through the Galleria Subalpina with its famous Caffè Baratti & Milano, and into Via Po. This long street leads from the city centre down to the River Po and is lined with book stores and lively, studenty-style cafes and bars. where the Caffè Fiorio, established in 1780, is famous for its Giandiua-flavoured ice-cream.
