My experience in Turin
Translated by 
Jorge Soto Almela
— 14 years ago
Original text by
Elisa De Pascalis
7 1
Tags: Erasmus experiences Turin,
Turin,
Italy
To tell the truth, I didn’t know a lot about this city before coming to study here. I have heard of Italian cities like Milan or Rome, but I have to say that I really liked Turin since the first time I saw it.
It is a nice city with many monuments. The squares are very big and beautiful. There are a lot of bars and restaurants.
For instance, I like a lot Piazza San Carlo. From my point of view, it is one of the most beautiful squares in Turin. If you are thirsty, you don’t have to worry about buying a bottle of water, because in this square you will find at least two drinking fountains. It is a big square with a sculpture of one of the kings of Italy in the middle (unfortunately I don’t remember its name). At the corner of Roma Street, there is a really good ice-cream parlour. It is called Fiorio; it is really fantastic! I recommend you to try the Gianduja ice-cream at least once in your Turin experience. Gianduja is the traditional chocolate of Turin; it is delicious! Once you try this ice-cream, you won’t be able to stop.
There is also a more beautiful ice-cream parlour located in Piazza Castello, but I can’t remember its name. If I remember the name, I will write it down. I promise!
Piazza Castello and Piazza San Carlo are two of the most central squares in Turin. In Piazza Castello you will find a shop where buns and pizzas are sold. It is called Focacceria Genovese and it is just next to Piazza Castello. From this square you can go to Garibaldi Street which, together with Rome Street, is one of the most important streets in Turin: a lot of people and a lot of shops! If you go straight on this street, you will arrive at Piazza Statuto, where there is a really beautiful statute with a lot of legends about it. The statue located in Piazza Solferino is very strange; it is said that if you cross in the middle of the square, you can arrive at heaven’s door. It is said that Turin is a magic city. In fact, there are a lot of legends about the city, but nobody knows if that is true or not.
In Turin there are a lot of concerts as well. For example, Pala Isozaki is the most famous place where concerts are held. If you like dancing, you can go to the Murazzi, near Po River. However, there is a problem: when it rains a lot, like last year, these pubs are inundated with water, so they have had to be rebuilt. I am not sure if it is possible to go there nowadays but I think so. Other places to go out at night: Cacao, Cutre… I think these pubs are in the centre of the city.
With regard to the accommodation, if you decide to stay in a residence, I recommend you to stay in:
- Verdi Residence: located in Verdi Street, very near the university (two or five minutes on foot). Obviously this is a very important street for the university students. You will find Palazzo Venturi and Palazzo Badini where you will be able to get information about the Languages Faculty and the Psychology Faculty. You will also find one of the RAI headquarters, just opposite Palazzo Venturi. Palazzo Nuovo is the building where all “humanistic” degrees are studied and around this building there are a lot of bookshops such as Genesi or Stampatori (I recommend you not to go there because it is very expensive and you can’t borrow books or buy used books). Another option is Libropoli bookshop where there are a lot of young people and where you can sell your books if you don’t need them any more. It is a good way to earn some money and you can also buy second-hand books. The second-hand books are cheaper, for instance, I paid €30 for a used book and its real price was approximately €60.
Principe Amadeo Street is quite near the University and you will find a university canteen there. For further information, click these links:
http://www.edisu.piemonte.it/cms/images/stories/dwd/ledisu/ristoranti_es.pdf (in Spanish)
http://www.edisu.piemonte.it/cms/images/stories/dwd/ledisu/ristoranti_en.pdf (in English)
http://www.edisu.piemonte.it/cms/images/stories/dwd/ledisu/ristoranti_fr.pdf (in French)
With regard to other residences, click this link for further information:
http://www.edisu.piemonte.it/cms/images/stories/dwd/residenze/le_residenze.pdf (website only available in Italian)
Apart from Verdi Residence, I recommend you the following residences: the residence located in Giulia di Barolo Street, next to the University (about one minute on foot); Cappelverdi Residence, near Piazza Castello and Garibaldi Street, I like it a lot as a residence: the rooms, the atmosphere and the people there are very nice.
I stay in a residence farther from the centre. It is called Lungo Dora Residence. To tell the truth, I don’t like it a lot. It is far from the centre and that is a big disadvantage if you want to go out at night. You can’t walk alone because there is nobody on the streets. The other river of Turin, Dora River, is just opposite the residence and that is the advantage. Personally, I don’t like the rooms and the atmosphere in general, so I recommend you to stay in a residence in the centre of the city. For an Erasmus student is better to live in the city centre city because he or she can enjoy the real daily life of the city.
With regard to the leisure time, you will find several shopping centres: Le Gru, situated on the outskirts of the city but there are always a lot of people because you can take a bus easily to go there or even I think you can take the underground. You will also find there Carrefour and Ikea (nowadays Ikea is closed and now you will find it on the north of the city). I recommend you to go to Ikea since everything is cheap and if you need any piece of furniture, you won’t pay a lot there.
A book fair is also celebrated on May where you can find a lot of intellectual people and foreign and Italian authors.
With regard to the transport, there are three train stations in Turin, but the most important one is Porta Nuova, where you can take most of trains to move across the country. Another station is Porta Susa where there are also a lot of trains and finally Lingotto Station, from my point of view, the least important train station in Turin.
If you want to visit some villages near Turin, I recommend you Bardonecchia, a mountain village where you will breathe clean and pure air and you will forget the common pollution of the cities. You have to take a train in Porta Nuova Station and you will be in Bardonecchia in one hour.
With regard to the weather, the winter in Turin is quite cold, sometimes 10 degrees below zero. It depends on the year. For example, this year hasn’t been so cold, 0 degrees or, at the most, 3-5 degrees below zero. However, the summer in Turin is very hot and humid, but you can go to the swimming pool (I don’t know exactly where it is).
I think that’s all about Turin. For further information, don’t hesitate to ask me. I have tried to write down all I know about Turin. I am from the South of Italy and I have been living in Turin for two years because of the University. Good luck and good Erasmus life!
It is a nice city with many monuments. The squares are very big and beautiful. There are a lot of bars and restaurants.
For instance, I like a lot Piazza San Carlo. From my point of view, it is one of the most beautiful squares in Turin. If you are thirsty, you don’t have to worry about buying a bottle of water, because in this square you will find at least two drinking fountains. It is a big square with a sculpture of one of the kings of Italy in the middle (unfortunately I don’t remember its name). At the corner of Roma Street, there is a really good ice-cream parlour. It is called Fiorio; it is really fantastic! I recommend you to try the Gianduja ice-cream at least once in your Turin experience. Gianduja is the traditional chocolate of Turin; it is delicious! Once you try this ice-cream, you won’t be able to stop.
There is also a more beautiful ice-cream parlour located in Piazza Castello, but I can’t remember its name. If I remember the name, I will write it down. I promise!
Piazza Castello and Piazza San Carlo are two of the most central squares in Turin. In Piazza Castello you will find a shop where buns and pizzas are sold. It is called Focacceria Genovese and it is just next to Piazza Castello. From this square you can go to Garibaldi Street which, together with Rome Street, is one of the most important streets in Turin: a lot of people and a lot of shops! If you go straight on this street, you will arrive at Piazza Statuto, where there is a really beautiful statute with a lot of legends about it. The statue located in Piazza Solferino is very strange; it is said that if you cross in the middle of the square, you can arrive at heaven’s door. It is said that Turin is a magic city. In fact, there are a lot of legends about the city, but nobody knows if that is true or not.
In Turin there are a lot of concerts as well. For example, Pala Isozaki is the most famous place where concerts are held. If you like dancing, you can go to the Murazzi, near Po River. However, there is a problem: when it rains a lot, like last year, these pubs are inundated with water, so they have had to be rebuilt. I am not sure if it is possible to go there nowadays but I think so. Other places to go out at night: Cacao, Cutre… I think these pubs are in the centre of the city.
With regard to the accommodation, if you decide to stay in a residence, I recommend you to stay in:
- Verdi Residence: located in Verdi Street, very near the university (two or five minutes on foot). Obviously this is a very important street for the university students. You will find Palazzo Venturi and Palazzo Badini where you will be able to get information about the Languages Faculty and the Psychology Faculty. You will also find one of the RAI headquarters, just opposite Palazzo Venturi. Palazzo Nuovo is the building where all “humanistic” degrees are studied and around this building there are a lot of bookshops such as Genesi or Stampatori (I recommend you not to go there because it is very expensive and you can’t borrow books or buy used books). Another option is Libropoli bookshop where there are a lot of young people and where you can sell your books if you don’t need them any more. It is a good way to earn some money and you can also buy second-hand books. The second-hand books are cheaper, for instance, I paid €30 for a used book and its real price was approximately €60.
Principe Amadeo Street is quite near the University and you will find a university canteen there. For further information, click these links:
http://www.edisu.piemonte.it/cms/images/stories/dwd/ledisu/ristoranti_es.pdf (in Spanish)
http://www.edisu.piemonte.it/cms/images/stories/dwd/ledisu/ristoranti_en.pdf (in English)
http://www.edisu.piemonte.it/cms/images/stories/dwd/ledisu/ristoranti_fr.pdf (in French)
With regard to other residences, click this link for further information:
http://www.edisu.piemonte.it/cms/images/stories/dwd/residenze/le_residenze.pdf (website only available in Italian)
Apart from Verdi Residence, I recommend you the following residences: the residence located in Giulia di Barolo Street, next to the University (about one minute on foot); Cappelverdi Residence, near Piazza Castello and Garibaldi Street, I like it a lot as a residence: the rooms, the atmosphere and the people there are very nice.
I stay in a residence farther from the centre. It is called Lungo Dora Residence. To tell the truth, I don’t like it a lot. It is far from the centre and that is a big disadvantage if you want to go out at night. You can’t walk alone because there is nobody on the streets. The other river of Turin, Dora River, is just opposite the residence and that is the advantage. Personally, I don’t like the rooms and the atmosphere in general, so I recommend you to stay in a residence in the centre of the city. For an Erasmus student is better to live in the city centre city because he or she can enjoy the real daily life of the city.
With regard to the leisure time, you will find several shopping centres: Le Gru, situated on the outskirts of the city but there are always a lot of people because you can take a bus easily to go there or even I think you can take the underground. You will also find there Carrefour and Ikea (nowadays Ikea is closed and now you will find it on the north of the city). I recommend you to go to Ikea since everything is cheap and if you need any piece of furniture, you won’t pay a lot there.
A book fair is also celebrated on May where you can find a lot of intellectual people and foreign and Italian authors.
With regard to the transport, there are three train stations in Turin, but the most important one is Porta Nuova, where you can take most of trains to move across the country. Another station is Porta Susa where there are also a lot of trains and finally Lingotto Station, from my point of view, the least important train station in Turin.
If you want to visit some villages near Turin, I recommend you Bardonecchia, a mountain village where you will breathe clean and pure air and you will forget the common pollution of the cities. You have to take a train in Porta Nuova Station and you will be in Bardonecchia in one hour.
With regard to the weather, the winter in Turin is quite cold, sometimes 10 degrees below zero. It depends on the year. For example, this year hasn’t been so cold, 0 degrees or, at the most, 3-5 degrees below zero. However, the summer in Turin is very hot and humid, but you can go to the swimming pool (I don’t know exactly where it is).
I think that’s all about Turin. For further information, don’t hesitate to ask me. I have tried to write down all I know about Turin. I am from the South of Italy and I have been living in Turin for two years because of the University. Good luck and good Erasmus life!
Content available in other languages
- Español: Mi experiencia en Turín
- Français: Mon séjour à Turin :)
- Deutsch: Meine Erfahrungen in Turin :)
- Italiano: La mia esperienza a Torino
- Polski: Moje doświadczenia z Turynu
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Comments (1 comments)
Hi! Thanks for the very useful information! I am thinking about going to Turin myself and I had a few questions: Did you had trouble finding and enrolling in the courses you wanted to take? I mean, I never had Italian lessons or anything, I am afraid I won't understand anything. :) Of course I plan on taking Italian lessons before I leave. Is the University erasmus-friendly? Thanks again for the information! Bye! Marie