When talking about Italy, Turin is never mentioned as a must-visit spot. Even more, Turin is one of the Italian cities that looks everything but Italy as we like to imagine it. Lazy sunny afternoons, wine and a bowl of pasta in the middle of a typical Mediterranean scenery – no, let’s not confuse Turin with Naples. Even despite being a fourth biggest city of Italy, Turin is not exactly overwhelmed with tourists.

Probably, that was one of the reasons to travel there – to discover an Italian town, which falls out of the standard clichés. Four days in Turin and we didn’t regret. Let us introduce you 10 reasons why Turin rocks.

Turin stands out in many ways, one of them is a simple “Northern” spirit of the place. Turin’s proximity to the Alps completely removes the Mediterranean touch so beloved by Italy fans. Square organization of the city doesn’t remind of any other Italian towns either, but nevertheless it’s a truly beautiful city to visit.

For an attentive eye, there is a lot of things to notice. Every detail matters. :)

Turin’s skyline has the most beautiful element, that makes it so special – the chain of the Alps. This region is called Piedmont which literally means “at the foot of the mountains” – and indeed, you don’t need more than an hour of drive to get in the heart of the Alps. That’s why in 2006 it was Turin who hosted the Winter Olympic Games.

The names that everyone hears and consumes since childhood come from Turin itself!

North of Italy is a rich area in general, but in Piedmont is concentrated the biggest part of Italian industry. They managed to overcome the European industrial crisis and maintain local factories on a descent level.

Over the past years, the term “Slow Food” has been gaining in popularity. As a consequence to the widely spread notion of “fast food” came its opposite – slow food. It means literally taking time for enjoying your delicious meal that was thoroughly made from the local products. As you might have guessed, this movement also started in Turin. Various little shops and restaurants (like Eataly) propose local products only which are heavenly tasty.

It’s not over with the food! Apart from high quality local products, there is another thing – authentic cuisine of Piedmont. Delicious chestnut sauces, beef tongue, beef in a tuna sauce and truffles – piedmont specialties are absolutely no worse than usual pizzas and pastas. By the way, among all wines of Italy, it’s Piedmont whose wines are considered as the best ones, among them the famous Barolo.

Fuck yeah!

Turin possesses a great number of captivating museums – Egypt museum, Cinema museum that is located inside the iconic building of the city, and the Car museum (MAUTO) honoring the blossoming automobile industry of Turin. What stroke us the most, however, was a Test Track in the former Lingotto Fiat factory. It moved out the city long time ago, but this astonishing test track on the roof of the building remained until these days. Definitely worth seeing – it literally takes the breath away.

Tramways and bicycles make Turin special, but wait till you see it by night…

For some amazing local food and friendly atmosphere check out La Buta Stupa, Soup and Go for simple and budget food and Arancia di Mezzanotte for the delicious snack and Vini e Caffè Ranzini for being like a local.

What is your opinion about the North of Italy? Or what other atypical Italian places could you recommend?