Turin · Quadrilatero Romano & Porta Palazzo

Caffè Al Bicerin

The bicerin is the signature drink of Turin: a layered glass of espresso, drinking chocolate, and whipped cream.

About Caffè Al Bicerin

The bicerin is the signature drink of Turin: a layered glass of espresso, drinking chocolate, and whipped cream. It was invented in the 18th century at Caffè Al Bicerin, and the same café has been serving it from the same address (Via della Consolata, across from the church of the same name) since 1763. The drink is served in a small glass, the layers visible through the side: a base of thick dark chocolate, espresso poured over it, a cap of cream. You do not stir it: you drink it in layers. Gianduja was invented in Turin in 1852, the hazelnut-chocolate mixture that eventually became Nutella (Ferrero is a Piedmontese company from Alba, 60 km south). The city has chocolate heritage that runs deeper than any tourist attraction: the best serious chocolatiers (Guido Gobino, Peyrano, Stratta) are workshops where you can watch production and buy directly. The bicerin at Al Bicerin costs EUR 5-7. The café itself is small (about 10 tables) and atmospheric: unchanged for 260 years, mirrors, marble tables, the same recipe. Alexander Dumas, Cavour, Nietzsche, and Puccini are all documented as having come here.

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The place

Getting there

Address

Piazza della Consolata, 5, 10122 Torino TO, Italy

Neighborhood

Quadrilatero Romano & Porta Palazzo →

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Good to know

Tips, answered

EUR 5-7 for a bicerin. The café is small: there may be a short wait. Do not stir the bicerin: drink it in layers. The shop sells boxed bicerin and chocolate products. The church of the Consolata directly opposite is worth 10 minutes (the 11th-century Romanesque apse preserved inside the Baroque interior, the votive paintings covering every surface).

Plan for about 45 minutes. Morning visits are typically less crowded.

Caffè Al Bicerin is in the Quadrilatero Romano & Porta Palazzo neighborhood of Turin. The address is Piazza della Consolata, 5, 10122 Torino TO, Italy. The area is well-served by metro.

Morning visits, especially early, mean fewer crowds and better light for photos. Weekdays are significantly quieter than weekends.

Comfortable shoes are recommended. Parts are outdoors, so bring a light layer.

Closed on Wednesday. Check the official website for holiday closures and special hours.

Around the corner

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Market

Porta Palazzo Market

Europe's largest open-air market sprawls across Piazza della Repubblica every morning except Sunday, with 800 stalls covering an entire city block. You'll find extraordinary Piedmontese produce, alpine river fish, artisanal cheeses, and an entire international food section serving Turin's North African and Eastern European communities. The covered market building from 1916 houses the premium delicatessen stalls, while October and November bring Italy's best public truffle display outside Alba. The energy peaks before 9 AM when vendors call out prices and shoppers jostle through narrow aisles between wooden stalls. You can smell roasting coffee, fresh bread, and pungent cheeses from blocks away. The truffle vendors let you handle their precious white specimens, weighing them on antique scales while explaining the differences between Langhe and Monferrato varieties. Street food vendors dish out North African specialties alongside traditional Piemontese fare. Most tourists stick to the obvious produce stalls and miss the real treasures. The covered market's cheese selection rivals anything in France, but costs 30% less than downtown shops. White truffles run EUR 200 to 400 per 100 grams, but you're not obligated to buy after examining them. Skip the touristy perimeter stalls and head straight for the international food section for the city's best couscous and authentic Eastern European specialties.

45 min - 1.5 hoursExplore

Museum

La Reggia di Venaria Reale

La Reggia di Venaria Reale showcases the absolute peak of Savoy royal excess, with the spectacular Hall of Diana stretching 140 meters of pure baroque theater. You'll walk through gilded galleries where frescoed ceilings soar overhead, and the Bucintoro room displays actual royal carriages that transported kings across Europe. The formal gardens cover 80 hectares with geometric patterns, fountains, and a perfectly restored orangery that rivals anything at Versailles. The palace flows chronologically through centuries of royal life, starting with hunting lodges and escalating to pure architectural megalomania. Each room outdoes the last: marble floors inlaid with precious stones, walls covered in silk tapestries, and mirrors that multiply the grandeur infinitely. The Hall of Diana stops conversations mid-sentence when you enter, its barrel-vaulted ceiling painted with hunting scenes that seem to move in the shifting light. Outside, the gardens unfold in perfect symmetry, with gravel paths leading to hidden grottos and water features. Most guides don't mention that you can easily spend 4 hours here if you're actually interested in royal history. Skip the basement exhibition rooms which feel like filler, and don't bother with the audio guide at €5 since the English descriptions are decent. Entry costs €25, but combined tickets with the gardens run €30. The palace gets surprisingly quiet after 3 PM when tour groups leave.

3 hoursExplore

Landmark

Palazzo Reale di Torino (Royal Palace) and Piazza Castello

The Royal Palace (Palazzo Reale) is the principal residence of the House of Savoy, the dynasty that ruled Piedmont for seven centuries and became the royal family of unified Italy in 1861. The building faces Piazza Castello from the north, with the main facade on the piazza side. The state apartments (EUR 15) are a procession of over-furnished rooms with Gobelin tapestries, Meissen porcelain, and gilded everything: the standard Baroque royal interior amplified by Savoy wealth and the need to impress visiting monarchs. The Armory (included) has one of the most complete collections of ceremonial arms and armour in Europe. The Chapel of the Holy Shroud (the Cappella della Sindone) is accessed from the palace: the Shroud of Turin is kept here, in a silver casket inside the chapel designed by Guarino Guarini (1668-1694), one of the most spatially complex Baroque interiors in Italy. The Shroud is almost never on public display. The chapel can be visited regardless. Piazza Castello itself is the ceremonial heart of Turin: the Palazzo Madama (medieval castle with Baroque facade, EUR 10, the rooftop terrace view), Palazzo Chiablese, and the Teatro Regio (Turin's opera house) all face the square.

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Tour

Somewhere Tours & Events

Somewhere Tours & Events runs the most thorough exploration of Turin's baroque transformation, when the Savoy royals essentially rebuilt their capital to rival Paris in the 17th and 18th centuries. You'll walk the entire length of Via Roma's elegant arcades, learning how architects like Filippo Juvarra created those perfectly symmetrical facades and unified porticoes that earned UNESCO protection. The tour connects all four major royal squares: San Carlo, Castello, Carlo Felice, and Carlo Alberto, explaining the political symbolism behind each design. Your guide (usually an architecture student or local historian) keeps a steady pace under the covered walkways, stopping at key viewpoints where the baroque planning becomes obvious. The best moments happen in Piazza San Carlo, where you'll stand in the exact center to appreciate the mathematical precision of the surrounding buildings. The group size stays around 12 people, and the commentary focuses on urban planning rather than general history. You'll finish at Palazzo Reale's exterior, where the tour connects Turin's baroque ambitions to the broader European context. Most walking tours in Turin rush through these squares as quick photo stops, but this one actually explains why they matter architecturally. The 25 EUR price feels reasonable for two hours of detailed commentary, though the tour can drag if your guide gets too academic about building techniques. Skip this if you're only mildly interested in architecture, but it's perfect if you want to understand how royal urban planning actually works.

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Experience

Cesarine: Cooking Class

This isn't your typical tourist cooking class. You'll learn authentic Piedmontese dishes in a real home kitchen from passionate cooks who've been making these recipes for decades. The focus is on agnolotti del plin, those delicate hand-pinched pasta parcels that originated right here in Turin, plus vitello tonnato, the region's surprisingly addictive cold veal with tuna sauce. These aren't simplified versions for tourists: you'll master the proper techniques that local families guard jealously. Your host greets you in their actual home, usually a cozy apartment kitchen where three generations have cooked these same dishes. You'll work side by side rolling paper-thin pasta, learning the specific pinching technique that creates agnolotti's signature pleated edge. The atmosphere is intimate and genuinely warm, more like visiting Italian relatives than attending a formal class. The real magic happens during lunch when you sit at the family table, tasting your creations with carefully chosen local wines. Most cooking classes in Turin are overpriced tourist traps, but Cesarine delivers authenticity. Expect to pay around 120-150 EUR per person, which includes ingredients, wine, and the full meal. The hosts vary wildly in English ability, so brush up on basic Italian food vocabulary. Skip the classes in central locations, they're often the most touristy. The best hosts are usually in residential neighborhoods where you'll see how real Torinesi live.

3 hoursExplore

Museum

Juventus Museum

The Juventus Museum sits inside the Allianz Stadium and combines a trophy-packed museum with behind-the-scenes stadium access that gets you onto the actual pitch. You'll walk through the players' tunnel, sit in the same locker room where legends like Del Piero suited up, and stand pitch-side where 41,000 fans roar on match days. The museum section displays over a century of silverware, including their numerous Serie A titles and Champions League trophies, with interactive displays that let you relive historic goals and moments. The experience flows from museum to stadium, starting with trophy cases and moving into the bowels of the stadium itself. Standing in the tunnel before emerging onto the pitch gives you genuine goosebumps, especially when you realize this is exactly what Buffon saw before every home match. The locker room feels surprisingly intimate, and the press room where coaches face the media after victories and defeats adds authentic atmosphere. The museum portion can feel a bit corporate, but once you're walking through player areas, the magic kicks in. Most guides don't mention that tickets cost €15 for adults, which is reasonable for what you get. Skip the overpriced audio guide (€5 extra) since the displays have English descriptions. The gift shop prices are predictably inflated, but if you're buying a jersey anyway, the selection here beats most sports stores in central Turin. Book online to guarantee your preferred time slot, especially during football season when tours fill up quickly.

1.5 hoursExplore

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