Books and newspapers
Libreria Luxembourg, Via
C. Battisti 7, has an
excellent range of British
and American paperbacks.
English-language
newspapers and magazines
can be bought from the
newsagents in Porta Nuova
station and Libreria
Internazionale de La
Stampa, Via Roma 80.
Car parks The
Porta Nuova car park
(daily 7am-10pm;
L1500/0.78 per 30min) is
the most central place to
leave your vehicle.
Car rental Avis,
Corso Turati 15 (tel
011.501.107); Europcar,
Via Madama Cristina 272 (tel
011.650.3603); Hertz, Via
Magellano 12 (tel
011.502.080). All these
companies also have desks
at Porta Nuova station and
the airport.
Chocolate Turin
is a major centre for
chocolate production, its
most famous product being
the hazelnut chocolate Gianduiotto
, which dates back to the
nineteenth century. Some
even claim that it was the
Torinese who introduced
chocolate to France when
chocolate making for
export began in 1678.
Peyrano at Corso
Moncalieri 47 and Croci
Bruno at Via Principessa
Clotilde 61a both have an
excellent selection; the
latter is slightly less
expensive.
Closing days
Some shops are closed on
Monday morning. Be
prepared for the summer
shutdown (First Mon-last
Sat of Aug), when there's
only a limited public
transport service, and
many restaurants, food
shops and other businesses
are closed.
Exchange Outside
normal banking hours you
can exchange money at
Porta Nuova station (daily
7.10am-1.40pm &
2.10-8.30pm).
Football Turin's
two teams, Juventus ( www.juventus.it
) and Torino (www.toroclub.it
), play on Saturday and
Sunday afternoons at the
Stadio dell' Alpi, Strada
Altessano 131, Continassa,
Venaria Reale (tel
011.738.0081), although
it's rumoured that Torino
may soon be moving to a
new stadium. Stadio dell'
Alpi is reachable by tram
#9 only when there's a
game on; at other times
(to see the high-tech
architecture of the
stadium, for example) take
bus #72. Although Juventus
is the most popular team
in Italy (a recent poll
found that one-third of
all Italians support
them), most of the locals
support the underdogs,
Torino.
Hospital
Ospedale Molinette, Corso
Bramante 88-90 (tel
011.633.1633); for 24hr
emergency medical
attention call 5747.
Internet access @h!
, Via Montebello 13
(Mon-Fri 10am-1pm &
2-7pm; tel 011.815.4058, www
.ahto2000.com ;
L10,000/5.17 per hour).
Laundries Alba,
Via San Secondo 1; Lava
Aschiuga, Via Berthollet
18, with other branches at
Via de Nanni 84 and Piazza
della Repubblica 5.
Markets In
addition to the Porta
Palazzo on Piazza della
Repubblica, and the weekly
Balôn and monthly Gran
Balôn markets behind
Porta Palazzo
, there's often some
heavily discounted
designer fashion (the
genuine thing, from
end-of-line clearances) at
the Crocetta market around
Via Cassini and Via Marco
Polo (Tues-Fri morning
& all day Sat) - not
exactly street market
prices, but still much
cheaper than in the shops.
Pharmacist
Boniscontro, Corso
Vittorio Emanuele II 66 (tel
011.538.271) is an
all-night chemist.
Police tel 113.
City police station at
Corso XI Febbraio 22 (tel
011.460.6060). Dial 112
for Carabinieri.
Post office The
central post office is at
Via Alfieri 10 (Mon-Fri
8.30am-2.30pm, Sat
8.30am-1pm).
Shopping Via
Roma is good for designer
labels, and there is
trendier, less expensive
fare in the pedestrianized
streets bordered by Via
Pietro Micca, Via Monte
Pietá, Via dei Mercanti
and Via San Francesco
d'Assisi. Sellers of
secondhand clothes and
costume jewellery, book
binders, tailors and dress
makers cluster in the
narrow streets around Via
Barbaroux, Via San Tommaso
and Via Monte di Pieta,
off Via Garibaldi.
Telephones There
are Telecom Italia offices
at Via Roma 18 and at the
Porta Nuova and Porta Susa
stations (daily 7am-10pm).
