Italy became a country just 150 years ago and Turin, its first capital, is hosting the birthday celebrations. Here is the best of this fascinating cityOver the past 100 years or so Turin has rather become Italy's forgotten city. For tourists, it comes a long way down the list behind the magnetic must-see destinations of Venice, Florence, Rome and Naples. For Italians, Turin is still perceived as a kind of "grim up north" metropolis of heavy industry, with its emblematic Fiat factories.That is set to change from 17 March, when the city takes centre stage as the venue for Esperienza Italia (italia150.it), a nine-month celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Italian state. The Italy that we know today was officially united from disparate city states and dukedoms, and declared a nation as recently as 1861. And the city that became its capital (though for just four years) and site of the first parliament was Turin.What visitors will discover this year is that the exhibitions and festivities are only the tip of the iceberg of Turin's attractions. Surrounded by rolling green hills with snowy Alpine peaks in the background, the historic centre is filled with sumptuous baroque palaces and art nouveau mansions, and a labyrinth of shady arcades lined with fashion boutiques, funky aperitivo bars and romantic restaurants serving delicious Piemontese cuisine.The man behind the unification, or Il Risorgimento as it is known, was Count Camillo di Cavour, who just happened to come from Turin. This was already an imposing regal city: the Dukes of Savoy had built their opulent palazzi here, and they became the official royal family when parliament declared Victor Emmanuel II the first king of a united Italy on 17 March 1861. This month, it will be Italy's head of state, the eminently respectable President Giorgio Napolitano ? and not the serially disreputable prime minister Silvio Berlusconi ? who will arrive at the newly reopened Palazzo Carignano to inaugurate the celebrations in the original tiny parliamentary chamber.From that moment on, Turin will host a non-stop calendar of art, design and fashion exhibitions, opera and concert performances, food and wine tastings, plus festivals of theatre, cinema, street art and music. There will be two main venues, the Officine Grandi Riparazioni, or OGR, an immense railway workshop in the heart of the city, and the Venaria Reale, a sumptuous 17th-century hunting lodge and the residence of the Savoy royalty at the edge of the modern city, today a beautifully preserved world heritage site.The blockbuster art exhibitions will all be at the Venaria (Piazza della Repubblica, lavenaria.it), beginning with Bella Italia, a selection of more than 300 masterpieces by Giotto, Botticelli, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian, Veronese and Caravaggio. Then, in October, the more quirky Leonardo: Italian Genius, Universal Myth (lavenaria.it/mostre/eng/eventi/2011/leonardo.shtml) opens, examining how artists have depicted the face of il maestro compared with his iconic self-portrait in red chalk.Away from fine art, fashionistas will not want to miss Fashion in Italy: 150 Years of Elegance, looking at the roots of Italy's uniquely glamorous fashion industry. And all year, the idyllic gardens of the Venaria are open for visits and tours of its vegetable plots and orchards, organised by the Slow Food movement (slowfood.com), whose headquarters are nearby.A very different Italy is on display at the OGR (Corso Castelfidardo 22, officinegrandiriparazioni.it), where a series of interactive exhibitions in the cavernous Victorian locomotive plant will try to explain how "people became Italians" and how Italy will supposedly evolve. (The exhibitions are sure to be visually stunning, but the theme is somewhat idealistic: many Italians say their country is as divided today as it was 150 years ago, with the extremist Lega Nord pushing for separation from the poorer south.)Although the extravaganza of the Esperienza Italia will get Turin talked about, the city itself is the real star of the show. For a slice of la vita Torinese, head down in the morning to Porta Palatina, the ancient city gate, where a frenetic, teeming market is held each day. Foodies will be dazzled by the displays of cheese, salami and prosciutto, wild porcini mushrooms and pungent white truffles from the town of Alba, to the south.But walk for a few minutes through the narrow streets of the nearby Quadrilatero Romano, the ancient Roman centre, and the market crowds rapidly disappear, and eventually you come out in the magnificent Piazza San Carlo, a jewel of baroque architecture. Here, elegantly dressed locals window-shop at haute-couture boutiques, then sip an espresso at the historic Caff� Torino, or Caff� San Carlo (caffesancarlo.it), further up the street. These two look more like palaces than bars, with their shimmering crystal chandeliers and plush velvet sofas.For lunch, choose between an old-fashioned osteria such as Cantine Barbaroux (Via Giuseppe Barbaroux 13, +39 011 535412, cantinebarbaroux.it), serving Piemontese specialities like a steaming plate of tajarin pasta smothered with a rabbit and rosemary sauce, or opt for a healthy salad in the stylish Neo-Head Bar (Via Bonelli 16c), a minuscule chapel decorated by owner-photographer Enrico Frignani.The afternoon can be spent doing more cultural sightseeing. There is an amazing Egyptian Museum (Via Accademia delle Scienze 6, museoegizio.org) whose collection of mummies and sarcophagi rivals that of the Cairo Museum ? but this is an airy, green city, and a better bet is to stroll through the quiet gardens of the Parco Valentino, then along the Murazzi, the promenade along the river Po. As soon as the fine weather arrives in the spring, the Murazzi are transformed after sunset into the nightlife heart of the city, with scores of bars and dance clubs that are packed out till dawn.In the early evening, everyone heads off to their preferred bar to indulge in the local habit of l'aperitivo ? free tapas-style snacks when you order drinks ? which runs from 6pm until 9pm or 10pm. With Martini and Cinzano vermouths both hailing from this city, the Torinesi have turned the aperitif into an art form: for the price of an Americano or Negroni cocktail (be prepared to splash out ?8-10), you can feast from a lavish buffet.The decision is whether to choose a classy caff� or a funky bar. Traditionalists will tell you not to miss the celebrated Belle Epoque Caff� Platti (Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 72, platti.it), but a more fun time is to had at the lively student haunt Pasticceria Abrate (Via Po 10), or the terminally hip La Drogheria (Piazza Vittorio Veneto 18, la-drogheria.it), whose DJ has everyone dancing even before the official aperitivo hour is over. If you find the buffet is not enough to fill you up, head for fashionable trattoria Pastis (Piazza Emanuele Filiberto 9b, +39 011 521 1085) or, for a traditional Piemontese meal, try the Tre Galline (Via Bellezia 37, +39 011 436 6553).? Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies from Stansted to Turin, from �33 return. The boutique Art Hotel Boston (Via Massena 70, +39 011 500359, hotelbostontorino.it) has doubles from ?110, including breakfast. Chic B&B Foresteria degli Artisti (Via degli Artisti 15, +39 011 837785, foresteriadegliartisti.it) has doubles from ?90 with breakfast. For more information see turismotorino.orgTurinItalyCity breaksShort breaksRomantic tripsJohn Bruntonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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