HOW TO ENJOY IT... Eating times and places

Every morning in Turin the typical Turinese wakes up, goes out and starts running. Every morning in Turin a tourist wakes up, looks around and starts following the steps of the typical Turinese. From sunset to dawn,here's how to discover without being seen the gluttonous rituals and the right places of 'homo communis taurinensis'.

The right time for every meal

9.00 o' clock -breakfast
You must have breakfast at a bar, either in your district, or in the centre, or on the outskirts, near your office or your school.
Maybe because people are in a rush, or are lazy, or just for the pleasure of a 'common' ritual: in Turin, more than in other cities, people go out for breakfast. The main ingredients are: a hot cappuccino with some cocoa powder on top, or its smaller version, a "marocchino", usually with a croissant. Skimming the daily news, commenting it briefly and having a chat with the barman or the other customers are a must. Being a "Bugianen" or not, breakfast is 'easy'!

1.00 P.M - lunch
A short, fast, light, metropolitan meal so as not to fall asleep after lunch. Lots of vegetables, but also pasta and big salads. "Piadine" (flat bread sanwiches), sandwiches, 'tramezzini' (sandwiches with no bread crust) and toasted sandwiches. For ethnic food lovers and those who cannot do without a large meal, an everlasting myth: kebab.

5.30 P.M./6.00P.M - merenda sinoira
This is Turin's real speciality, the most original one, especially for the time: "merenda sinoira", a large afternoon meal which substitutes dinner ('sinoira' after "cena" (sina in Piedmontese, that is dinner). It usually takes place on holidays; cheese and cold pork cuts are the main dishes ("toma",ham and salami...); it can be finished by any other speciality, either sweet or savoury... provided that it is Piedmontese!

7 P.M. . aperitif
A ritual which takes place in trendy places and in historical coffee bars; it represents the other half, the ones who prefer it to "merenda sinoira". Vermouth was not born here accidentally: this is definitely Turin's happy hour: cocktails, appetizers, tartlets, cheeses, cold pork cuts, but also "bagna caôda" and "fonduta"... drinking good wine, listening to good music and making new friends.

8.30 P.M. . Dinner
After the unusual afternoon meals, dinner is no longer a problem. It must be light to better enjoy night binges in the city! A "minestrina" (a light soup) will do, but if you use the stock from "bollito misto" and stuffed pasta, it will be in any case an unforgettable dish.

From 1.00 A.M. to 5.00 A.M. Night sandwich booths
Having fun whets your appetite and after your social nights, the gastronomic chase will start again.While looking for a savoury snack, you might venture as far as one of the booths you can find in many streets or areas; here you cannot resist the temptation to eat a big, greasy sandwich. Every true-born Turinese knows the 'right' places and swears he/she knows where the best sandwich is made and where the weirdest sandwich maker is.

night bakeries
If you get a craving for sweet food, it won't be difficult to find some open bakeries if you are up late.Freshly cooked croissants, cakes and pastries can be bought in the middle of the night in a rather clandestine way and free of tax. As for the addresses it is sufficient to ask any true-born Turinese, every neighbourhood has its baker who makes a bit of extra money by catering for the palates of young people with his delicious specialities. Otherwise just refer to the map of the services open all night in 'Buonanotte Torino' (for free at Centro Informazione-Giovani or on the web page www.comune.torino.it/tempieorari/web)

5.00 A.M. It's morning again and cafés reopen.
And like every morning in Turin, whether you are a Turinese or a tourist, the important thing is that you start licking your lips and... running! .

THE APERITIF TOLD

by Marco Gatto, owner of "Rossini" café
"Rossini" café is on the corner of corso Regina Margherita and via Rossini, not far form the city centre and the university area. It was opened in 1993 by the Gatto brothers and it is a very lively and cosy place with a patio in the street and a view on the river Dora. It is attended by customers who are 25 or more and is famous for its aperitifs.
"The aperitif is, above all, a way to socialize: people talk and make new friends eating bits and pieces and even drinking standing up. This makes this place very similar to other night places, such as pubs and discos, but with a nicer and more friendly atmosphere."
"The preparation of the aperitif starts soon after lunch.You prepare the first courses, choose the appetizers, slice the fruit for the cocktails. In winter you prefer hot dishes, such as small quantities of first courses, cous cous, tartlets, cheeses and cold pork cuts. In summer mainly cold pasta, fresh fruit and vegetables.
Everything is on display on the counter and on a big table where people can help themselves."
"The most popular drinks are cocktails, beer and wine, red in winter and white in summer."

"L'APPETITOSO" A SANDWICH BOOTH

Massimiliano Malfatto, proud inventor of the "ammazzacristiani" (Christian killer) gives an interview.
The best solution against midnight craving for food is definitely a sandwich booth, the so-called "paninaro". There are a lot of these businesses in Turin streets and one of them is run by Massimiliano Malfatto.
"My speciality is "Ammazzacristiani": pork meat, scrambled egg, cheese and 3 types of sauce. During the day I work in an industrial area, Autoporto Pescarito, with very few bars and restaurants. There are some regular customers, but there are mainly a lot of passers-by.
On the contrary, in the evening I place my van in the area of events and concerts. The customers are different: mainly young people of all kinds. The peak hour is between 11 PM and 1 AM when the young people coming out of discos are ravenous!"."I like my job because it gives me the chance to meet and get in touch with lots of very different people. The only problem is the cold winter nights".

the cultural places

HISTORICAL COFFEE HOUSES
They enrapture you with their magnificent decorations, while you are tempted by the inviting smells of the gastronomic tradition. Turin's coffee houses: an old-fashioned taste which always leaves... a very good aftertaste.

Al Bicerin (piazza della Consolata)
This 19th century coffee house is just opposite the Consolata church. The ritual of the bicerin (a small glass) is still the traditional one. Three hot pots, each filled with hot milk, hot chocolate and coffee. Three possible mixes: pur-e-fior (milk and coffee), pur-e-barba (chocolate and coffee) or un po' d' tut (the original bicerin), with the option of the stissa (a drop of milk or coffee) and of some bagnati biscuits to dunk (at least 12).

Caffè San Carlo (piazza San carlo)
Opened at the beginning of the 19th century it was the reformist centre, historically the opposite of the 'tory' Caffè Fiorio. Among its customers famous politicians, such as Crispi, Giolitti and Gramsci, as well as literary men, such as Croce and Einaudi. Even women were allowed.

Stratta (piazza San Carlo) How is it possible not to be spellbound by the coloured and tempting shop windows of this confectionery? Founded in 1836, by appointment of H. M. the King (as the walnut shop sign says), it is famous for its hard sweets, filled with a drop of jam, still handmade today like yesterday.

Caffè Fiorio (via Po)
Well known today for its ice-cream, it was also known as Café d'le cue (the Tories' coffee house), headquarters of the most reactionary aristocracy. People said King Carlo Alberto himself inquired about the mood and the opinions of its customers. Today it is the only coffee house which still remains in via Po, while others, such as Caffè delle Colonne (later called Nazionale) - Nietzche's favourite one - maintain only the original façade.

Caffè del Cambio (piazza Carignano)
Opened in 1757, Turin's most prestigious restaurant is in the very heart of the city, just opposite Guarini's baroque masterpiece, the seat of the first Italian Parliament. You can still get an atmosphere full of good taste and discretion, typical of the 19th century Turin in which Cavour lived. Cavour, regular customer between one sitting of Parliament and the other, is still remembered by a bronze plate and a tricoloured flag on his usual table.

Baratti & Milano (piazza Castello, 29)
This confectionery, opened in 1873, very soon became the official supplier of the Savoys, as stated by the shop sign on the outside. The place can mingle the sober atmosphere of the original 19th century confectionery with the lively Art-Nouveau style of the bar and the off-licence. Have a coffee, just like Guido Gozzano used to.

Caffè Mulassano (piazza Castello, 15)
Not far from Baratti is another Turinese coffee house, an example of Art-Nouveau which goes back to 1907. Here the tramezzino (a sandwich which is always present at lunchtime and not only in Piedmont) was invented in 1925.

Gelateria Pepino (piazza Carignano, 8)
Pepino is next to the Carignano Theatre. This place was opened at the end of the 19th century by an immigrant from Naples. Famous most of all for its ice-cream; pinguino, the first ice-lolly made of ice-cream covered with chocolate,was invented here.

Caffè Torino (piazza San Carlo, 204)
This place, an Art-Nouveau gem, was not only the Royal Family's favourite coffee house, but it was also loved by Cesare Pavese, De Gasperi and Einaudi. Just in front of it, on the pavement, is a bronze bull: according to the Turinese, stepping on its testicles brings you good luck.Remember it!

Caffè Elena (piazza Vittorio Veneto, 5)
If you want to spend a quiet afternoon or maybe have an aperitif in the central piazza Vittorio this place will suit you. The sign of the Carpano company reminds you of the fact that at the beginning of the 20th century this place was famous for its vermouth.

Caffè Miretti (corso Matteotti, 5)
If you love ice-cream you must go and see this old-fashioned ice-cream shop. Whether you like fruit ice-cream or creamy ones, your taste buds will be rewarded.

Platti (corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 72)
This place was opened in 1875 and was the witness of the city's development. Statesmen, intellectuals and enterpreneurs, such as Luigi Einaudi, Luigi Lavazza and Giovanni Agnelli, met and debated in its rooms.

Confetteria Avvignano (piazza Carlo Felice, 50)
It was opened in 1883, but the appeal of its furnishings, mirrors and gilding, dating 1926, is still intact. Here you can taste some typical products, rum chocolates like Cuneesi, Droneresi and Baci di Cherasco.

EATALY
via Nizza 230
Born in 2007, today it has branches in many cities. Eataly (www.eataly.it) is something really difficult to explain. A top quality supermarket? A shopping centre for typical products? A set of restaurants offering refined, but at the same time homely cooking? Maybe all of them or none of them.You must really come and visit the 2,500 m2 (27,000 sq. ft.) area opposite the ex-Lingotto factory to realize what Eataly is, to be spoilt for choice between a genuine pizza and a ready-made "impepata di cozze" (a dish of mussels), to push your trolley through the alleys examining what's on the shelves and being tempted by special, but at the same time traditional products. To experience that full aftertaste that we tend to forget.

MERCATO DEI CONTADINI
piazza della Repubblica
Every day you can find the farmers' stalls at Porta Palazzo market, in a special area called "the farmers' area", where fresh produce is put on display. Here farmers sell what they produce directly to customers. Fruit, vegetables, various kinds of cold pork cuts or cheeses,which are really better than the usual ones. Either because they come from the nearby countryside, or because of their guaranteed quality, or because of the trust-based relationship between buyer and seller, or for all these reasons put together. Anyway, doing shopping here is highly recommended by all the Turinese ladies.