GAM – GALLERIA DARTE MODERNA (MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART)
The GAM (or Museum of Contemporary Art) is home to a collection of over 45,000 works including paintings, photographs and sculptures by italian artists. In addition, the museum holds a rich collection of drawings and engravings as well as one of the most important European collections of art films and videos.
Besides a rich collection of 19th & 20th exhibits by Italian artists the museum also holds works by some of the most notorious figures in the art world such as Fontanesi, Medardo Rosso, Modigliani, Klee, Balla, De Chirico, Casorati and Warhol.
In 1863, in association with the Civic Museum, Turin was the first Italian city to promote a public art collection in 1863. The collection was initially held at the Mole Antonelliana building, and later (1895) moved to an exhibition area in Via Siccardi (now Via Galileo Ferraris) that was destroyed during the war in 1942 . Rebuilt in 1959 it was refurbished in the early eighties and opened to the public again in 1993. During the restoration period, even the exhibits underwent an extensive conservation process.
GRISSINI
Grissini (or bread sticks), are a real must on any Piedmontese table. Born as a uniquely Turinese invention that saved (so the saying goes) the life of the young Victor Amadeus II, a sickly child, grissinis are made with the simplest of ingredients: a mixture of flour, water, salt and yeast, baked in the oven and produced in two versions: “stirato”, delicate and crumbly, or ‘rubatà’, more robust and only slightly leavened, shaped like sticks but with typical bumps from finger pressure.
GASTRONOMY
It is an art to eat well in Turin. An ancient culinary tradition, rich in flavours and colours, a triumph of the senses, that confers an intense flavour over the city, making it one of the world capitals of food.
Amongst the region’s most renowned dishes are the “Bagna cauda” and “bollito misto”. The bollito misto is a mix of different cuts of meat, veal, broiling fowl, boiling sausage and of course calf’s head, accompanied by cold sauces such as “bagnetto verde”, whilst the Bagna Cauda is a warm dip consumed in a manner similar to the fondue. It is made with garlic, anchovies, olive oil, butter and in some parts of the region,cream. In the Alba version, truffle is also added. The bagna cauda is eaten by dipping raw, boiled or roasted vegetables like cardoon, carrots, peppers, fennel, celery, cauliflower, artichokes and onions.
The list of cheeses is never ending and simply delicious: from fresh robiola to tome, from tomini to paglierini… of soft or firm consistency. For the more demanding, a slice of Castelmagno, perhaps accompanied by a sort of chutney-sauce made from grape chutney, hazelnuts, figs, pears and quinces, is not to be missed.
Not to mention the region’s world famous wines: the Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Asti Spumante, mainly produced in the Langhe and Ghemme regions of Piedmont. A good lunch or dinner is never complete without a good glass of wine.
To conclude, Turin’s confectionery boasts a series of imaginative patisserie and desserts: from bonèt with chocolate and small macaroons to tiny bignole, from fresh cream cakes to nut cakes and chocolate gianduja, from zabaglione to hazelnut nougat.
Many of Turin’s eating establishments are perfectly suited to closing the deal and doing business, but if you’are really out to impress, try any of the following restaurants:
Ristorante del Cambio, Piazza Carignano 2, for old-fashioned flair
La Pista, Via Nizza 262, Lingotto, for incredibile view
Combal.Zero, Castello di Rivoli, for Michelin-starred morsels
And for local cuisine:
Casa Martin, Sant’Agostino 23 M
San Tommaso, Via San Tomasso 10
Porto di Savona, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele 2
Tre Galline, Via Bellezza 37
L’Agrifolio, Accademia Albertina 38 d
La Taverna della Rosa, Via Massena 24
La badessa, Piazza Carlo Emanuele II 17 h
La Vitel Etonnè Via San Francesco da Paola 4
Il Brandè, Via Massena 5
C’era una volta, C.soVittorio EmanueleII 41
Ristorante Urbani, Via Saluzzo 3
Pizzerie
Gennaro Esposito, Via Passalacqua 1 g
Stars & Roses, Piazza Paleocapa 2d
Fratelli la cozza, C.so Regio Parco 39
Stazione Sassi, Piazzale Modena 6
