Turin Travel Diaries #3 - The Crocetta Neighborhood, Parco del Valentino and More

Hello dear travel lovers. After exploring the center of Turin, we turned our route toward the Crocetta district. Setting the main squares aside, this is Turin’s most elite, expensive and in my opinion most beautiful neighborhood. Nearly all the buildings here were constructed in the Art Nouveau style. The buildings here look like the Coppedè neighborhood in Rome. I visited that area during my Rome trip. This area is very similar, but it is cleaner and bigger. It is maybe even more beautiful. If you have time after the main squares, you should come here. I’m sure you won't regret it.

Turin also has another side. In the old part of the city, near the Roman Theatre the streets change suddenly. There is a lot of trash and graffiti. You can see homeless people and scary places there. These streets show that the city had dificult economic times in the past. Because of this Turin is often compared to Detroit. Following World War Two the city’s population skyrocketed, growing rapidly with immigrants primarily from the south.

The most significant architectural feature of Turin is its massive colonnaded galleries and passages, covering a vast area. Because of these porticos, you can walk in the city center without an umbrella. You don't get wet, even in heavy rain. Padua and Bologna have them too. But in Turin they are much bigger and more beautiful.

When the sun shines, people go to Parco del Valentino. This is a very big park next to Italy’s longest river. In the past the Savoy family used it in the summer. Now it is one of the first public gardens in Italy. And one of the most beautiful corners of the park is the Rococo style fountain of the Twelve Months. Also within the park is the Castello del Valentino. Once a medieval defense fortress, it was later transformed into an Italian Baroque palace and today serves as a home for students of the Polytechnic university.

The city also boasts a very interesting project by architect Alessandro Antonelli called Casa Scaccabarozzi. It is a building only 54 centimeters wide. Antonelli built this trapezoid-shaped house on this tiny strip of land because he was angry with his neighbor. When people doubted its structural integrity, he moved into the top floor with his wife to prove its safety. Known among the public as the Slice of Polenta due to its color and shape, it remains one of Turin's most extraordinary structures.

Two full days in Turin were enough to walk through the galleries, visit the museums and understand the soul of the city. It may not be Italy’s number one tourist destination, but I believe it is a wonderful place with a unique texture that you should definitely stop by during your North Italy trip.