"Four Days In Turin" a Torino Travel Page by AnnS

Although I am a great lover of Italy, I hadn't really thought much about Turin until the Winter Olympics were held there earlier this year. During the television coverage, I noticed wonderful architecture and stunning scenery and immediately added it my list of places to visit.

I don't usually travel in August because it's the height of the tourist season and prices almost everywhere are at their highest. But research told me that Turin is much like Paris, in so far as many people leave the city for their holidays during the month of August. Whereas this may put some people off visiting, I felt it was an ideal time to go and yes... some businesses and restaurants were closed but there were plenty still open, as were all the main attractions and services. The only inconvenience to me was that the restaurant in my hotel was closed and I often like to 'eat in' after a tiring day sightseeing. Otherwise, it was a perfect time with lovely weather and a complete lack of crowds.

As I'm not very fit and tire easily (especially in hot weather), I decided the first thing to do was to visit the tourist office to get a measure of how much there was to see and the easiest way to see it. This turned out to be a wise move because the very helpful girls there gave me free maps and a lovely booklet entitled "Walks to Explore the City". They also sold me a card for the 'hop on, hop off' tourist bus which circles the city every hour and is a great energy saver. So with this combination I was able to see everything of interest.

The weather was so wonderful that I didn't feel like spending time indoors so I decided to give all the museums a miss and focus instead on views, parks and general street life, all the time soaking up the wonderful architecture that's evident in almost every street.

When I'd tired of the city, I strolled along the path beside the River Po, Italy's longest river. I had hoped to take one of the advertised river trips but the boats weren't running, apparently due to the water level being too low. So instead, I walked to the city's main park - Parco del Valentino - and had rest and a cold drink at one of the many cafes in the shade of the trees.

Turin is not a tourist mecca like Rome, Florence or Venice but it's certainly worth visiting for a few days. It's wonderfully Italian (not many people speak English) and you have to work a bit harder to figure things out but it's full of beautiful buildings, charming porticoed streets, smart shops, nice cafes and is a very good base for exploring the Piedmont region.

As I was in the middle of the beautiful Piedmont region, I wanted to to take a trip outside Turin to see some of the scenery. I only had one day to do this and it was hard to choose a destination but I settled on Bardonecchia, a town in the Alps, right on the French border. It took 1hr 50mins to get there by train from Turin but wow, was it worth it!

It's a beautifully picturesque and well-kept town, nestled in a valley and surrounded by the most wonderful scenery. It's just a short walk from the train station to the centre of town and I was surprised at how deserted it was. I know its main tourist season is winter, for skiers, but I hadn't expected to be virtually the only tourist in town.

After a couple of hours there, I took a small bus up into the mountains, to a totally beautiful little settlement called Rochemolles. I use the word "settlement" because it only consists of a few houses and one small bar but it's an absolutely stunning place... surrounded by mountains and woods... and it was a perfect place to get away from the city and breathe clear mountain air.

Later, back in Bardonecchia, the town centre had come alive. The shops had reopened and all the locals were out walking and enjoying the evening. I bought a delicious slice of pizza and walked with them, until it was time to catch my evening train back to Turin.

I would recommend this as a day trip to anyone staying in Turin.