Touring Turin and Piedmont
Thursday, 08 Dec 2005 10:16
The Italian Job: famous scenes were shot in Turin
The sound of hooting horns and scenes of gridlock on the streets of Turin, which prompts three Mini-Coopers laden with gold bars to make a unique escape from the Italian authorities, is one of the enduring images of
The Italian Job.
But the extent of the traffic chaos was not something dreamed up by film-makers, but by then Fiat boss Giovanni Agnelli, who sent his workers out onto the roads of Turin in Fiats to cause traffic jams and make sure his cars were featured in the film.
Turin has been home to Fiat for over a century, but this is little compared to Turin's most famous tourist attraction – the Turin Shroud.
The shroud, the age of which is subject to some dispute although it definitely stretches to several centuries, is made of linen thinner than a newspaper and has survived two scorching fires, according to the new
Turin & Piedmont title from The Purple Guide.
The guide has been launched ahead of the Turin Winter Olympics, which are expected to bring a host of new travellers to the region when the Games get underway in February 2006.
Turin, known as Torino to Italians, is described as one of Europe's most underrated cities with its art-nouveau cafes and 17km of colonnades (covered shopping arcades) offering reasonably priced food and shopping.
The Piedmont region is also known for its mountains, lakes and food, which many Italians apparently think is the best in Italy.
The Langhe district of Piedmont contains nine Michelin-starred restaurants, and the region as a whole is known for its white truffle and for Barolo and Barbaresco, known as the King and Queen of wines.
For more information on the Turin Winter Olympics see:
www.torino20006.org
Buy Turin & Piedmont from Amazon.co.uk