OT: Turin

[MadRocketSci]

Hey, anyone have recommendations for places to eat in Turin that stunningly showcase the local flavors in a relatively cost-effective manner? :) Grazie in advance...

[veggieburger]

Might want to move this to general discussion...;)

[Bradford]

Moved to General Discussion section to facilitate more responses.

Buon appetito.

[MadRocketSci]

oops! multitasking :)

[texbike]

Can't help with eating suggestions in Turin, but if you come back toward Annecy via E25/Chamonix, be sure to NOT speed through the Mont Blanc tunnel. Those tickets are EXPENSIVE!!!! :(

Texbike

[MadRocketSci]

Can't help with eating suggestions in Turin, but if you come back toward Annecy via E25/Chamonix, be sure to NOT speed through the Mont Blanc tunnel. Those tickets are EXPENSIVE!!!! :(

Texbike

cars there are expensive!

I had a brief plan to rent a car in Annecy, since Avis/Europecar/etc all have rental offices there, but the tab came out to be like $140 a day, plus gas is like what $9 gallon, plus tolls, plus if i cross the border i heard it's like $50 each way...i decided to just plant my butt in Annecy and if i can get this bike thing sorted maybe just ride to Samoens, up the joux plane, and back in one day. Or I'll just ride up around the lake, eat some bon bons and call it a day :)

[tiretrax]

Trains are great. In Turin, I'd eat at the Ferrari factory cafeteria.

[Mr. Pink]

cars there are expensive!

I had a brief plan to rent a car in Annecy, since Avis/Europecar/etc all have rental offices there, but the tab came out to be like $140 a day, plus gas is like what $9 gallon, plus tolls, plus if i cross the border i heard it's like $50 each way...i decided to just plant my butt in Annecy and if i can get this bike thing sorted maybe just ride to Samoens, up the joux plane, and back in one day. Or I'll just ride up around the lake, eat some bon bons and call it a day :)


We rented a Fiat 500 in Tuscany for what turned out to be a hundred a day in the end. Original quote from AAA was 133 Euro for a week through Hertz, but it turned out to be almost three times that amount (Basically a hundred dollars a day) after fees and the dreaded VAT tax on the bottom line (22%). And, yes, gas is damn expensive. Three quarters of the tank in the little thing cost about $65.
But, it was worth it. There is no way to see the country, and get out into biking roads, without a car. I guess you could bike, but, a car will make you more mobile and carries much more stuff. When I go back, I will be renting a Fiat 500 or similar again and bring my own Thule trunk rack.

[martl]

Annency - Turin is ~95€ (return) by train. Some have bicycle transport facilities.

[maxn]

I was just there and can recommend a few places that we really enjoyed:


La Taverna dei Mercanti
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187855-d2295959-Reviews-La_Taverna_dei_Mercanti-Turin_Province_of_Turin_Piedmont.html

Griglio, for seafood
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187855-d2640981-Reviews-Griglio-Turin_Province_of_Turin_Piedmont.html

And for sandwiches, this place is SO good (nice guys, too)
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187855-d4065120-Reviews-Master_Sandwich-Turin_Province_of_Turin_Piedmont.html

and finally, Gelato
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187855-d2108441-Reviews-Piu_di_un_Gelato-Turin_Province_of_Turin_Piedmont.html

[jh_on_the_cape]

In Italy we have always done with the Slow Food guide. It is a yellow printed guide with a snail on the cover. La Chiociola (maybe misspelled).

I have only been to Torino a few times and briefly and always visiting a local person so I had no idea where I was eating. But it was good!

http://www.amazon.com/Osterie-Locande-dItalia-Traditional-Places/dp/8884991145

Enjoy your trip! If you decide to take a side trip, we went to Val d'Aosta for two weeks each summer for two summers. Aosta itself is beautiful little town with Roman ruins. The surrounding mountains are amazing. The first time was up towards the Passa San Bernadino, the second time was in Valsavarenche. I did not have a bike but did lots of hiking.

[Gsinill]

For all my trips to new locations in Europe I generally use Tripadvisor for restaurant reviews. Worked pretty well for us so far.

[dbrown]

For a fairly inexpensive, but also fairly good meal, and a fun experience- try the original Eataly. It is only 2 blocks from the Lingotto subway station.

[MadRocketSci]

great suggestions, everyone, much appreciated. I gotta say...those master sandwiches look amazing. Might be my first stop. Or Eataly, where I can just wander around and sample everything. Gelato, I'm not picky, but I'll definitely try the place known as the best in town. I can hardly walk past any gelato place without going in...hopefully by the time i leave i will have a ranking of the top 25 places in the city for gelato Nocciola :)

[jh_on_the_cape]

For a fairly inexpensive, but also fairly good meal, and a fun experience- try the original Eataly. It is only 2 blocks from the Lingotto subway station.

The Eataly in NYC is kind of fun. We went to the one in Rome and while fun, I would not recommend it for eating. Shopping yes. There are much better places to eat well and inexpensive, at least in Rome.

[maxn]

great suggestions, everyone, much appreciated. I gotta say...those master sandwiches look amazing. Might be my first stop. Or Eataly, where I can just wander around and sample everything. Gelato, I'm not picky, but I'll definitely try the place known as the best in town. I can hardly walk past any gelato place without going in...hopefully by the time i leave i will have a ranking of the top 25 places in the city for gelato Nocciola :)

I prefer Nocciola over most other flavors, but try the strawberry -- trust me.

Here's a photo of the Master Sandwich menu, so you can prepare yourself for the deliciousness. #40 was awesome
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/46877757/msammich.jpg

[rrudoff]

Check out renting through Kemwel, rates can sometimes be better and you can get fully inclusive zero excess insurance. For a small car, this should be under 50 a day. If you are staying long enough and can plan ahead, you can also lease a brand new Peugeot or Renault. Min is 17 days, but you need to go over 30 days at least to make it cheaper then renting. If you want to get out of the big cities in Italy, a car really is nice to have.

It is also typically a bit cheaper to rent a car in France rather than Italy, but if you do a one way, the drop off is 300 Euro and will kill the savings.