Hotel Torino - Turin Hotels
Mappa della città di Torino e indicazioni utili per spostarsi

• Itinerary I (Piazza Vittorio Veneto e Via Po)
• Itinerary II (from Piazza Castello to Piazza San Carlo)
• Itinerary III (from Via Santa Teresa to Via Garibaldi)

Itinerary I (Piazza Vittorio Veneto and Via Po)

This itinerary follows the most important route of the baroque and neoclassical city, a comprehensive example of the urban development policies pursued by the royal house for nearly three centuries.
Via Po was orginally a lively centre of trade and “preformance”. Its cafés, today nearly all disappeared, contributed to the history of the nation as a whole as they became centres of political debate during the renaissance period.
Once relegated to a peripheral position, due to a shift in the position of the city centre, the street has now reclaimed its identity as a commercial hub.
At n° 5, Piazza Vittorio, the 18th century glassworks, rebuilt in 1830, is worthy of note.

Routes among the old, traditional shops

MUSY: An old jeweller’s shop which has been in operation since 1818. The austerity of its façade is typical of via Po. The interior is dominiated by red fabrics, the black of its furniture and marble, and the gold of its decorations.
Indirizzo Via Po, 1

AUGUSTA: Via Po, thanks to its proximity to various cultural institutions, was once home to several music shops such as this.
Indirizzo Via Po, 3

ROBERTO: The main entrance to this shop is decorated by a wooden monoblock.
Indirizzo Via po, 5°

GIAPPICHELLI:

Originally a stationery and bookshop in the 1920s, this publisher of scientific books set up business under the arches in the same period. The furniture and shelving date back to the same period, and the beautiful brass cash register is particularly worthy of note..
Indirizzo Via Fratelli Vasco, 2

BACHECHE: These kiosk-like structures are almost as well-equipped as conventional shops, with shelves and work surfaces when they are open, and taking up the minimum of space when they are closed.
Indirizzo Via Po, 25

DEGLI STEMMI:Founded in 1732 under the ownershop of the Ospedale di Carità (Charity Hospital), the chemist’s, though today privately owned, conserves its original decorations and furnishings.
Indirizzo Via po, 31

ELENA: The Carpano insignia above the lunette recalls the founder of the café who first offered us his vermouth. The bar comes from the “Caffè Nazionale”. The café’s two entrances are pink marble doorways and with wooden frames.
Indirizzo Piazza Vittorio Veneto, 5

STILE LIBERTY:This typcial 19th century barber’s shop offers a refined environment of of boiserie and mirrors. The cask desk and the chests of drawers are in the same style, and the accessories, most of which original, are also well worth a mention.
Indirizzo Piazza Vittorio Veneto, 7

BERRUTO:: An old neo-gothic kiosk in carved wood (late 19th century)
Indirizzo Piazza Vittorio Veneto, 7

CERETTO:Cast iron kiosk attached to the pillars of the arches. It dates back to 1904, the year the jeweller’s shop it belonged to was opened.
Indirizzo Piazza Vittorio Veneto, 9

OPERTI:The elegant marble doorway hints at the prestigious nature of the business hosted by these premises. Inside, you can admire a variety of delicate decorative features from gildings to wood carvings.
Indirizzo Piazza Vittorio Veneto, 11

AGOSTINO DEMICHELIS:The chemist’s shop is an important example of early 19th century architecture, and the boiserie, shelving and sculpted wood interior is not to be missed. The fine curved walnut counter, sober and elegant, is also well worth a look.
Indirizzo Piazza Vittorio Veneto, 10

COBIANCHI:Founded in 1804, the perfumery and cosmetics workshop subsequently obtained the authorisation to bear the official emblems of the Royal House, which are still visible on its oil-painted iron sign conserved inside the shop.
Indirizzo Via San Massimo, 12

SCIUNNACHE: The simple wooden pair of devantures in front of the shop are an important example of the “monoblock” type. The interior features fir-wood shelving and a number of old stationery objects, marble and brass scales, wooden paper presses and an elegant liberty-style cast iron paper cutter.
Indirizzo Via Po, 18

BONINO: One of the most interesting examples of commercial decoration in via Po, not least due to the arrangement of the furniture: the façade is completed by a kiosk of the same design. The linearity of the walnut devanture is complemented by a series of liberty features, and the shop window is completed by bases, collars and capitals. The interior is in cherrywood and features mohogany panelling. Déco designs recur on both the shelving and the shop counter, and the door’s typical ground crystal design is also worthy of note.
Indirizzo Via Po, 12

ABRATE:Founded in 1866, the cake shop’s exterior presents a devanture from the 1930s. The bar-counter and the windows decorated with chromium-brass casts are from the 1920s.
Indirizzo Via Po, 10

REALE ANNIBALE: Little shop with monoblock devanture and an external kiosk.
Indirizzo Via Po, 10

LA CONTERJA: Ancient "Reale Ombrelleria Artigiana", (Royal Ombrelleria Craftsmanship)
from 1897.
Indirizzo Via Po, 10

BOGINO:This café conserves a number of prestigious furnishings from the 1910s and the 1920s: a sophisticated cash desk and bar in valuable marble, and columns sculpted from Siena yellow with floral brass decorations. The chandelier is also a significant feature.
Indirizzo Via Principe Amadeo, 11

FIORIO:The café’s heyday was in the risorgimento period, when it was known as the “ponytail café” because it was a meeting point for the more conservative wing of the period’s political and cultural scene. Although dating back to the early 1800s, its embellissement, which turned it into a café of aristocrats, was only completed in 1845. The café’s most significant features include the majestic bar in Siena yellow, the wooden compass with cathedral glass covering, and the beautiful stucco work.
Indirizzo Via Po, 8

DELL'UNIVERSITA'(Profumeria):The wooden shop-window decorations hint at a decorative model which were subsequently reproduced in cast iron. The very name of the shop is a clear testimony to the importance of its position in relation to the nearby university, and the latter’s influence on the development of local businesses.
Indirizzo Via Po, 4

DELL'UNIVERSITA' (Caffè):This imposing establishment is a perfect example of the rich decoration typical of Via Po’s cafés. The façade, which dates back to the early 1900s, is made from limestone and features bronze framing.
Indirizzo Via Po, 4

Itinerary II (from Piazza Castello to Piazza San Carlo)

Piazza San Carlo, a masterpiece of baroque urban architecture, is today the most famous meeting point for the Torinese, while Piazza Castello is the centre “par excellence” of Turin. Piazza Castello gathers many of the city’s most important historical periods. The arches, and more specifically the “Fair Arcade” (“Portici della Fiera”, in the southern and eastern corners of the square) are historically the city’s main trading points and areas of social interaction. Their name derives from the 17th century “Fair of San Germano”, whose trade, which became permanent in 1832, gave origin to the stable presence of merchants through the construction of “baracconi”, large shed-like contructions which occupied the spaces between the arches. Via Roma, one of the city’s busiest trade centres, no longer has such constructions because because it was completely rebuilt between 1931 and 1937. We recommend an itinerary which connects the two squares and also takes in via Accademia delle Scienze and Piazza Carignano, an area featuring some of the city’s most significant examples of baroque architecture.

MULASSANO: Founded in 1907, its design and the sophisticated nature of its materials and their practical application make the Caffè Mulassano a jewel of Liberty business architecture, of which it is a rare exmple. Designed by Antonio Vandone, the furnishings were produced by some of the period’s finest craftsmen. Its most interesting features, apart from the façade, include the ceiling in wood and leather, the walls of mirrors and boiserie, the bar in onyx featuring bronze decorations, the tables and the flooring.
Indirizzo Piazza Castello, 15

BARATTI&MILANO: Originally opened by confectioners Baratti & Milano in 1875, this elegant café takes its name from its founders. The furnishings, from the same period, are constituted by lambris in mohogany, painted mirrors, the bar, and ceilings decorated with stuccoes, enamels, silk, frames and “jambs”. The exterior is also noteworthy, an imposing setting of yellow marble and bronze bas-reliefs, while the external arcade area is the work of Giulio Casanova and Edoardo Rubino.
Indirizzo Piazza Castello, 29

CAMAIEUR: Della bella confetteria Romana Bass, da Casanova nel 1920, rimangono solo i soffitti dipinti, con stucchi dorati e la decorazione di alcune pareti.
Indirizzo Piazza Castello,43

BARBISIO: Once the beautiful Romana Bass confectioner’s shop, founded by Casanova in 1920, only the painted ceilings, with gold-plated stuccoes, and some wall decorations remain of the original interior.
Indirizzo Piazza Castello, 31

CAPELLO: Capello, the jeweller of the Royal House, followed the court to Florence. The extension of the premises in 1920 brought with it a French-style interior, but the façade with its framing work, walnut door-sign and rare Val Roia marble panelling has been kept in tact since 1882.
Indirizzo Via Accademia delle Scienze, 3

FREE MAP COMPANY: Small monoblock walnut devanture dating back to the late 19th century.
Indirizzo Via Accademia delle Scienze, 4

MALAN: The Bestente chemist shop, opened in 1833, was distinguished by an elegant wood-carved sign. Also worthy of note are the shop-window decorations, the stone plaque and the Empire-style interior furnishings.
Indirizzo Piazza Carignano, 2

DEL CAMBIO: Opened as the “Caffè del Cambio” in 1757, it is now perhaps Turin’s most famous restaurant in terms of tradition and due to its 19th century interior. Its name probably derives from the  “Consolato dei Cambi, Negozi ed Arti in Torino” (“The Consulate of Trade, Shops and Arts in Turin”, ‘cambio’ means ‘trade’ or ‘commerce’) on which the “University of Confectioners” depended. The decoration of its rooms and its gas lamps date back to 1840. The “Saletta Cavour” (“Cavour Room”), named after one of the restaurant’s most illustrious patrons, is decorated with an elegant enamelled boiserie. In the main dining room, the furnishings are composed of a series of boiserie and mirrors surmounted by windows painted by Bonelli and which represent the four seasons, as well as the original tables and other fittings.
Indirizzo Piazza Carignano, 2

MASINO: This old chemist’s shop, founded in 1667, is one of those whose owner possesses the title of “Court Apothecary”. It belonged to the Massimo family for several generations right up until 1905. The façade once featured a precious 18th century sign (now inside), the Chiablese coat of arms. The sober 18th century interior is made entirely of walnut wood.
Indirizzo Via Maria Vittoria, 3

STRATTA: While the confectioner’s was opened in 1836,  the external decorations date back further to 1883. Today, the emblem of the official supplier to the Royal House can be be admired, made of walnut and featuring gold-plating. The late-Albertine (cherry and walnut) furnishings are more or less in original condition. The shop was one of the first to introduce gas lighting in 1840.
Indirizzo Piazza San Carlo, 191

PAISSA: The devanture, notable also due to its size, is a typical early 20th century decoration. The sign is made from Paonazzo di Limone marble, and inside, you can admire a large brass and onyx lamp. The shop, once official supplier to the Royal House, is one of the oldest importers of colonial products in Italy.
Indirizzo Piazza San Carlo, 196

SAN CARLO: This café has one of the oldest traditions in Turin, dating back to the early 19th century. Towards 1837, the premises became a kind of meeting place for intellectual reformists, and was frequented by some of Italy’s most  important historical and political figures, including Cavour, D’Azeglio, Lamarmora and Giolitti. The first cafè in Turin to feature external decorations, it was extended in the early 20th century, but the new rooms were destroyed by the bombings during the war. All that remains are the two rooms with access to the square. In the central hall, original paintings and gold-plated wood-carved features can still be seen.
Indirizzo Piazza San Carlo, 156

Itinerary III (from Via Santa Teresa to Via Garibaldi)

This itinerary winds along the perimeter of the Roman and medieval areas of the city, which remained largely unchanged until the end of the 16th century. The area of the city, more than any other, was subjected to continuous urban development and transformation, and over a period of three hundred years the layout of the streets was radically changed.
Via Santa Teresa and Consolata are of completely different historical stock, built between the original town and the extensions carried out over the 17th and 18th centuries. Via Pietro Micca, for example, was laid out diagonally, in line with other “regeneration” projects in the older districts of Roman layout. Via Doragrossa (Garibaldi) is a testimony to the inextricable links between trade and the city’s most well-known and symbolic places, authorised in 1739 for trading in “gold, silver, silk, cloth, canvas and similar products”.

SOLFERINO: It began trading in 1708 but moved to its current location in 1928. The walls are lined with mosaics, the elegant combination of shop and workshop is a fine example of typical 1920s interior design.
Indirizzo Via Santa Teresa, 21

PUCCIO: A small walnut devanture, dating back to 1885, was made by Matteo for Angela Luino’s hat shop. Inside, the shop preserves its “License of Supply to the Royal House” and an interesting collection of craft tools for the customised production of shoes.
Indirizzo Via Santa Teresa, 22

MODA DEL GUANTO: With its early 20th century exterior decorations, the shop has a transparent, subtle structure which succeeds in making maximum use of light. It is constructed in walnut and poplar. The overhanging door sign, supported by four wooden winged griffins, is also worthy of note.
Indirizzo Via Santa Teresa, 19

BOIDI:The imposing framed façade of this perfumery dates back to 1911, and also of interest is the stone frame surrounding the smaller window, which in the early 1900s belonged to a corset maker’s shop.
Indirizzo Via Pietro Micca, 15

CENTRO IMPERMEABILI:
The façade is in wood and 1920s Botola marble, inspired by Casanova.
Indirizzo Via Pietro Micca, 12

ABELLO: Old herbalist’s shop distinguished by a sophisticated cast iron devanture.  On the façade, built around 1860 by Bertero (responsible for the lamps in the Teatro Regio (Royal Theatre), the tortile columns are enhanced by small cast iron decorations. The red larch furnishings, by Cometti, are from the International Exposition of 1911: shelving and chests of drawers, interspersed with pilasters and support bracket.
Indirizzo Via Monte di Pietà, 5

MASSIA GIUSEPPE: This braid shop, one of the few surviving today, dates back to 1915. The furnishings are still in their original condition, including the central column, wooden shelving and boiserie with floral decorations and French-style tempera decorated stuccoes.
Indirizzo Via San Tommaso, 4

MASSIA VITTORIO: A rare example of a 19th century braid shop; the Massia spinet makers are documented as early as 1843 and their clients include numerous European opera houses as well as the Italian Army. The sober furnishings date back to 1880, and are made from rosewood. The braids, ropes and ribbons provide a colourfully complement the shops interior.
Indirizzo Via Barbaroux, 20

NUOVO TALMONE: An important example of a typical early 20th century café. The cash desk, made of a tin and silver alloy, and the octagonal tables all date back to 1911. The walls with symmetrically alternated pilasters and capitals were completed in the 1920s. The café is one of the few traditional shops surviving in the area.
Indirizzo Piazza Palazzo di Città, 7

XX SETTEMBRE: An old chemist’s shop located in the “Seminario Arcivescovile” (Archbishop Seminary) building. It was taken over by Schiapparelli in 1824, but it was founded much earlier than that. Indeed, it was part of the 24 collegiate pharmacies of the 16th century. The interior is a perfectly preserved example of mid-19th century furnishing: counter featuring carved pharmaceutical symbols, shelving, and the cathedral windows are fire fainted with House of Savoy emblems.
Indirizzo Via XX settembre, 87

ANGLESIO: A rare example of an 18th century shop, the chemist’s preserves some of Turin’s oldest and finest commercial furnishings. Already part of the 16th century collegiate, it belonged to the Anglesio family as a “Pharmacy of the Court”. A fire in 1766 almost completely destroyed it, with the exception of the imposing counter, a significant piece of Piedmontese baroque furniture. The Camoletto shelves, and those on the early 19th century walnut sideboard, complete the furnishings. The exterior features another of the oldest examples of commercial fittings: a precious wooden sign fating back to 1774.
Indirizzo Via Milano, 11

DELLA CONSOLATA: A rare example of an 18th century shop, the chemist’s preserves some of Turin’s oldest and finest commercial furnishings. Already part of the 16th century collegiate, it belonged to the Anglesio family as a “Pharmacy of the Court”. A fire in 1766 almost completely destroyed it, with the exception of the imposing counter, a significant piece of Piedmontese baroque furniture. The Camoletto shelves, and those on the early 19th century walnut sideboard, complete the furnishings. The exterior features another of the oldest examples of commercial fittings: a precious wooden sign fating back to 1774.
Indirizzo Via delle Orfane, 25

AL BICERIN:

A rare example of an 18th century shop, the chemist’s preserves some of Turin’s oldest and finest commercial furnishings. Already part of the 16th century collegiate, it belonged to the Anglesio family as a “Pharmacy of the Court”. A fire in 1766 almost completely destroyed it, with the exception of the imposing counter, a significant piece of Piedmontese baroque furniture. The Camoletto shelves, and those on the early 19th century walnut sideboard, complete the furnishings. The exterior features another of the oldest examples of commercial fittings: a precious wooden sign fating back to 1774..
Indirizzo Piazza della Consolata, 5

SERAFINO ROSA: The shop is a perfect example of 19th century herbalist’s shops: simple furnishings made from expensive woods, and the counter still features the essential tools of the trade. The real decoration, however, are the products themselves, with their colours and aromas. The only external feature to note is the rare and valuable sign board, painted in different coloured oils and featuring the emblems of the Royal House.
Indirizzo Piazza della Consolata, 5

FERRERO: This shop is located in Palazzo Saluzzo Paesana. The furnishings go back to 1768 and are composed of two sculpture marble doorways, a rare decorative example, anchored with bronze clasps. These doorways were the forerunners of a specific type of decoration, designed to enhance the entrances to upmarket shops.  The interior is also worthy of interest.
Indirizzo Via del Carmine, 1

BOSIO: Its monumental façade is one of the most elaborate forms of commercial fittings you could wish to find. Of eclectic design and a clear Liberty influence, it is testimony to the use of artificial stone, typical of Art Nouveau. At the sides of the entrance, the sculptures represent Galeno and pharmaceutical symbols. The interior furnishings date back to the early 1900s.
Indirizzo Via Garibaldi, 24/26