Historic cafes form an important part of Torino’s society. They are clustered under every elegant portico and are so fabulous I would like to be in one every day. The grand cafes are left over from the days when Torino attracted intellectuals and philosophers who would gather to indulge in delicious coffee and hot chocolate, sometimes both together, for it is in Torino that the truly delicious bicerin was born. Click here to find out more about this heavenly delight.
Many of the cafes are ostentatiously decorated with chandeliers and ornate marble bars covered with delicious things to tempt the taste buds. Some are hundreds of years old and their customers included Cavour and Garibaldi, Alexandre Dumas, the nobles of Savoy and countless others.
the famous Mulassano
inside Mulassano
inside Teatro Cinema with Cafe Baratti to the right
Cafe Mulassano and Baratti are listed among the best in Italy. How they work this out I have no idea when just about every cafe in Italy is excellent.
delicious chocolate - so good for you
the very elegant Stratta
the interior
good things to eat
Torino is famous for its chocolate, and rightly so. How do you choose? My favourites are the chocolate covered gooseberries. I can’t resist them.
So beautiful and so tempting…
By: Anna Harrison on August 26, 2011
at 9:59 pm
I really recommend the bicerin – worth a trip to Torino for this alone.
By: bagnidilucca on August 26, 2011
at 10:18 pm
Having just been to Torino, your stunning photos bought back memories of the amazing interiors and of course, the chocolate and bicerin. The chocolates were out of this world!
By: Jenny Freedman on August 26, 2011
at 10:37 pm
Torino is a great place to visit and it is not really on the tourist trail, which I don’t understand.
By: bagnidilucca on August 26, 2011
at 10:42 pm
Wow–how lovely! And it makes me so hungry!
Kathy
By: Kathryn McCullough on August 26, 2011
at 11:35 pm
The coffee and chocolate in Torino make your heart sing.
By: bagnidilucca on August 27, 2011
at 3:04 am
Oh how I long to visit your life. Looks amazing and stunning and absolutely delicious. Oh yes, I’m a fan. 🙂
By: Anna Johnston on August 27, 2011
at 2:06 am
When are you coming to lovely Italy?
By: bagnidilucca on August 27, 2011
at 3:04 am
We loved the Torino cafes, BdL, and the bicerin too. But don’t try making this at home, kids – it could get addictive.
By: Richard Tulloch on August 27, 2011
at 4:39 am
We love the grand cafés of Europe, they are magnificent, their coffee is good, they smell great and they bring back to a bygone era when those places were the heart and the soul of the intelectual movements. I do hope that people will patronise them allowing their survival.
I have not visited Torino, but closer to home there are two caffès where we love to go:
Caffè Giubbe Rosse in Florence:
http://www.giubberosse.it/
and my very favourite Caffè Florian in Venice:
http://www.caffeflorian.com/
By: Mulino Dominillo on August 27, 2011
at 6:06 am
I will definitely be checking out the 2 you have recommended. I am in Florence regularly and I can see a trip to Venice coming up soon.
By: bagnidilucca on August 27, 2011
at 11:59 am
Chocolate covered elegance – what a wonderful combination. I love the first photo and the people one can see inside – a story hangs in the air, especially about the reflected image on the right of the photo.
By: Jan on August 27, 2011
at 7:27 am
What a lovely thought – chocolate covered elegance – nothing better.
By: bagnidilucca on August 27, 2011
at 11:59 am
Torino looks really lovely, is there any place in Italy that you have not visited Debra? I am thinking of going to Tropea in Calabria, it looks amazing. If I go (looking at flights right now), I will fly into Pisa and connect to Lamezia. However I was thinking of staying in Lucca for a few days, do you have any recommendations for a place to stay?
By: Paula on August 27, 2011
at 9:08 am
I have not visited Calabria at all, so I expect a report. A friend has stayed at the Alexandra in Lucca and was very happy with it. Ilaria also looks good, it is fairly modern and looked very comfortable ( I was checking for a friend). I haven’t stayed in Lucca as we are very close and just go in for the day. When are you going to Italy?
By: bagnidilucca on August 27, 2011
at 12:03 pm
Thanks for the recommendations Debra, the Alexandra looks great. My trip is a last minute thing and I am hoping to go next week for just over 2 weeks. I can get flights ok but am having trouble finding accommodation in Tropea at the moment. Will definately let you know all about it.
By: Paula on August 30, 2011
at 8:02 am
Have a great holiday!!!
By: bagnidilucca on August 30, 2011
at 8:04 am
Those places remind me of Austria!
By: Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella on August 27, 2011
at 11:38 am
Torino is very much like Vienna. It is relatively new by Italian standards and was largely built in the 1800s.
By: bagnidilucca on August 27, 2011
at 12:04 pm
Wonderful places… I can imagine stories at every corner.
The first photo is my favorite 🙂
By: maru on August 27, 2011
at 5:09 pm
I love the wonderful cafes in Torino, and the delicious things to eat there.
By: bagnidilucca on August 27, 2011
at 10:12 pm
Chocolate-covered gooseberries?!
Oooh, count me in!
Simply exquisite.
By: Reggie on August 28, 2011
at 7:28 am
I can get chocolate covered gooseberries at the chocolate shop in Lucca as well – and I do so regularly.
By: bagnidilucca on August 28, 2011
at 9:18 am
Yummii chocolate… i would love to taste all these kinds….. its a very delightful thing to sit in a café and enjoy a nice coffee with a dessert, some chocolate. anything.
By: Fragolina on August 29, 2011
at 9:59 am
Torino is the place in Italy to go for chocolate.
By: bagnidilucca on August 29, 2011
at 10:27 am
Oh I wish we had had time to stop in Torino now and not just driven through it!
By: frenchfry36 on August 29, 2011
at 11:37 pm
Torino is one of the underrated cities in Italy. I’ve been several times and just love it.
By: bagnidilucca on August 30, 2011
at 5:26 am
It is hard not to feel picked on. I live in a lovely place, but we are seriously lacking sophistication….
By: Damommachef on August 30, 2011
at 3:22 am
Where you live is beautiful! I would love to visit your area. Everywhere has its own charms.
By: bagnidilucca on August 30, 2011
at 5:33 am
True True…..that’s why you travel, right? 🙂
By: Damommachef on August 31, 2011
at 3:34 pm
Cafe’s with style and artistic flair. Those chocolates are just so tempting.
By: the island traveler on August 31, 2011
at 9:10 am
The chocolate in Torino is excellent.
By: bagnidilucca on August 31, 2011
at 11:34 am
I love this city and really amazing photos!
By: hqas on March 10, 2014
at 6:16 pm