Home Travels Italy Piedmont Journey to Piedmont, nature and history in Turin

Journey to Piedmont, nature and history in Turin

Turin and its surroundings travel program

History, nature and gastronomic delicacies among city and hills.
Embraced by the perfectly designed Alps, we discover a courteous and gentle Turin immersed in the scents of today and yesterday, between the sacred and the industriousness, Turin with a complex soul, not a big city at all … a place to discover on foot and with your eyes.
The tour offers the opportunity to get to know lesser-known aspects of the city: multiethnic neighborhoods, places of solidarity, a journey through the history of the 20th century and, finally, the unexpected urban nature, with the Botanical Garden and the lush hill.

“Like an old Bavarian print, I see the subalpine sky at sunset.
From Palazzo Madama to Valentino park, Alps burn among the bright clouds …
This is the ancient time of Turin”

Guido Gozzano

Journey to Piedmont, nature and history in Turin

Foto di Lut Marlon da Pixabay

The travel day by day

Itinerary in Piedmont

Day 1

Meeting in Turin with the local representatives of ViaggieMiraggi and departure of the tour from Porta Palazzo, where the gaze go from the hill to the Mole Antonelliana, from the mountains to the Cathedral dome and its bell tower. In this square, home to the largest market in Europe, the whole meaning of Turin can be found.
Porta Palazzo is the “kitchen of Turin”, as Giuseppe Culicchia, a Turin author in love with his city, defined it. Among its stalls the intense scents of the Mediterranean, cheese from the Alpine valleys, Moroccan mint and spices, are released, while your mind runs to faraway countries. As you stroll around, you will encounter Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa in a kaleidoscope of colours. Porta Palazzo is History, it is a beloved place for Turinese citizens, who still today call it Porta Pila. It has always been the hub of city trade and home to the Balon, the flea and brocantage market.
Lunch in the area. You can taste and experience the cuisines of the world in the different restaurants closed to the market square or, if you prefer, street food stalls.
Our tour continues in the afternoon when we will discover the solidarity district, with a visit to a social project.
Porta Palazzo is also the district of Turin Social Saints, here solidarity is at home. At the end of the nineteenth century the poor of the city found refuge there, and it is here that Don Giovanni Bosco settled, welcoming ragged children, and Cottolengo.
Arrival at the hotel for check-in, accommodation in double rooms with private bathroom. Possibility of single room with supplement subject to availability.

This is followed by a typical Piedmontese dinner. Return to the hotel independently.

Day 2

After breakfast we leave, by public transport, to discover San Salvario, the historic hospitality district by tradition. During the walk through the streets of the neighborhood there will be a tasting of typical products at the local market with delicacies from Roero and Langhe: cheese, the famous Piedmontese meats and organic vegetables.

In Turin it is said: “In San Salvario there is everything”. Located between the Porta Nuova railway station and the Valentino Park, this neighborhood, since the early 1950s, has been the landing place for thousands of migrants who came from Southern Italy to seek a better future attracted by the industrious Turin factories. Today it still is a crossroads of cultures from Eastern Europe, Far East and Africa. The sweet “Parisian grace” described in Gozzano’s poems can be seen in the buildings of the late 1700s, the artisans, artists and brocante workshops can still be found in the streets next to the shops with specialties from all over the world.
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Lunch in the neighborhood and, afterwards, a stroll in the green Parco del Valentino, along the river Po. Beside the beautiful castle, one of the Residences of Royal House of Savoy, we find the University’s Botanical Garden. During the visit to the Botanical Garden we will plunge ourselves in an enchanted world of plants and flowers that come from distant places.

Return to the hotel, dinner.

Day 3

After breakfast we get ready to experience the third day, dedicated to the hills, the gentle crown of Turin. Our route starts from Piazza Vittorio to cross the Po where we can turn our gaze to the mountains, including the Monviso, protecting Turin.
After a stop to visit the fascinating seventeenth-century church of Madonna del Pilone and the Liberty-style Motovelodrome, ancient temple of track cycling
dedicated to Fausto Coppi, we reach the station of the famous “dentera”, the gear rack, of Superga to reach and visit the Basilica of Superga, the work of the architect Filippo Juvarra.

The Superga gear track climbs the hill, passing in the middle of beech, chestnut and conifer woods, offering us breathtaking views of the city and the Alps.
“I have in front of me the most beautiful sight that can strike the human eye” accompanied by these words by Jacques Rousseau we arrive to the square and enjoy the panorama of Turin and the Alps. Superga is also sadly famous for the tragedy that occurred on May 4, 1949 when the “Invincibles” of the football team Grande Torino lost their lives in the crash of the plane right on the Basilica walls. We will go to visit this place so full in history and beloved by the locals.
Lunch in a cozy typical restaurant in Superga or, depending on the time, in Pavarolo, the next stop.
Followed by a transfer with a rented mini van to Pavarolo, a characteristic hilltop village with a panoramic balcony, where we can visit the Studio Museum of the painter Felice Casorati.

Pavarolo offered to the great painter of the twentieth century something special, it was the inspiration for immutable concepts full of values. The transience of human events compared to the solidity of the earth, the play of lines, furrows on the hills… entering the house we can imagine the great painter intent on fixing the landscape of the surrounding hills on canvas.
Return to the city, travelling along the panoramic road towards the Colle della Maddalena, between villas and gardens.

Return to the hotel and dinner.

Day 4

After breakfast at the hotel we walk to the “Widespread” Museum of Resistance, Deportation, War, Rights and Freedom in Turin, to begin a day dedicated to the study of this important period of the Italian history. Here a guided tour awaits us.
The Museum offers its visitors a wealth of documents and memories of civil and political society. A unique example on the national scene in an action aimed at involving and keeping closely linked the memory and documentation of a tragic and glorious past with an eye to the future of Rights and Freedoms. Since 2009 the building has also housed the headquarters of the Primo Levi International Study Center, a great intellectual and witness of the last century
After lunch we have a guided tour of the “Le Nuove” Prison Museum, a very emotional journey through history and the stories of free and democratic Italy awaits us.

The Museum is housed in the old city prison, built in the second half of the nineteenth century and remained in operation until the 1980s. In the Fascist period, opponents of the regime were imprisoned there, in the following years also partisans and Jews. In the same period there was a “German arm”, or the section managed by the SS of the Third Reich, where partisans and opponents of Nazi-Fascism were tortured.

Greetings and end of the journey. We leave with an “arvedse“, goodbye in Piedmontese dialect, sure to find you again in our beautiful Turin.

Travel information

This program may be subject to change, both before and during the trip, depending on weather conditions, national holidays, personal needs of the travelers and of the hosts.

The program, transport and accommodations in the accommodation facilities may be modified according to national and regional regulations for the prevention of Covid-19 pandemia.

Please notify us in advance of any food intolerances, allergies and special needs, especially related to food (eg vegetarian / vegan).

Local representative

We will be accompanied by Stefano, cultural mediator, and Valeria, tour leader and founder of Italian Steps (Partner of ViaggieMiraggi ONLUS).

Level of difficulty

The tour does not present difficulties, it is particularly suitable for families and is accessible to travelers of all ages in good health. However, the presence of some architectural barriers can hinder the participation of people with mobility difficulties.

Available dates

This program is available all year round. Dates to be agreed. For more information see the document How we travel, which can be consulted on the website or requested directly from the agency.

Prices

Rates per person for the 5-day tour for a group of:

	Individual rate in euros
	8 people	6 people	4 people	2 people
Adults	310,00	345,00	473,00	515,00

For different group numbers please request a customized quote.

FOR FURTHER DETAILS CONCERNING THE PRICING TAB YOU MAY CONTACT THE AGENT

What is included:

3 accommodations in double room with private bathroom. Breakfast included
1 welcome dinner (except drinks), as described in the program
Local transport as scheduled
guided tours and museum admission fees as decsribed in the program (Orto Botanico, Museo della Resistenza, Museo del carcere “Le Nuove”)
Expenses coverage and compensation of the local representatives for 4 days
ViaggieMiraggi share

What is not included:

Round trip to and from Turin
Single room supplement with private bathroom (20€), according to availability
Meals (except Welcome dinner
travel, medical and cancellation insurance
personal expenses, extras and anything not expressly cited above

All quotations are subject to availability at the time of confirming a booking

Conditions

The minimum number of participants required to complete the trip is 2 people. Travellers will be informed 15 days prior to departure, in order to confirm.