Turin · Mole & Vanchiglia

Caffè Elena

One of the best aperitivo spots in Turin, serving elaborate buffets that include pasta dishes, vegetable preparations, and quality charcuterie alongside your EUR 10 drink.

About Caffè Elena

One of the best aperitivo spots in Turin, serving elaborate buffets that include pasta dishes, vegetable preparations, and quality charcuterie alongside your EUR 10 drink. The Belle Époque interior has original stucco work and mirrored walls. Popular with university professors and well-dressed locals in their 30s and 40s.

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The details

Practical bits

WalkingMinimal walking

The place

Getting there

Address

P.za Vittorio Veneto, 5, 10124 Torino TO, Italy

Neighborhood

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Good to know

Tips, answered

Arrive right at 6:30 PM when the aperitivo buffet is freshly set out, before the early crowd picks through it.

Plan for about 1h 30m. Morning visits are typically less crowded.

Caffè Elena is in the Mole & Vanchiglia neighborhood of Turin. The address is P.za Vittorio Veneto, 5, 10124 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.

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

Around the corner

Nearby in Mole & Vanchiglia

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Landmark

Basilica di Superga

This hilltop Baroque basilica sits 672 meters above Turin, designed by master architect Filippo Juvarra in the 1710s as the Savoy royal family's mausoleum. You'll explore the ornate church interior with its soaring dome, then descend to the crypts where Italian royalty lies buried in marble sarcophagi. The real draw is the panoramic terrace: on clear days you can see the entire Alps arc from Monte Rosa to the Maritime Alps, with Turin's grid spread out below like a map. The historic rack tramway from Sassi takes 20 minutes, climbing through vineyards and forests while the city shrinks behind you. Inside the basilica, the atmosphere shifts from tourist chatter to reverent quiet as you enter the royal tombs. Behind the building, a simple memorial plaque marks where the Grande Torino football team died in 1949 when their plane crashed into the hillside. The contrast between the opulent royal burial chambers and this modest sports memorial feels uniquely Italian. Most visitors rush through the basilica in 30 minutes, but you need at least two hours to appreciate both the architecture and views properly. The tram costs €4 each way, though driving up saves money if you're in a group. Skip the overpriced cafe on site and bring snacks. The basilica interior closes for Mass on Sunday mornings, but the views remain accessible. Weather makes or breaks this trip: on hazy days you'll see nothing but gray soup where the Alps should be.

2 hoursExplore

Museum

Mole Antonelliana and National Cinema Museum

Turin's strangest architectural story stands 167 meters tall in the city center: the Mole Antonelliana started as a synagogue in 1863, bankrupted the Jewish community who commissioned it, got abandoned mid-construction, then became the city's accidental monument. Today it houses Europe's most creative cinema museum, where you'll explore film history through immersive installations rather than boring chronological displays. The horror cave genuinely startles, the 1930s monster movie room captures Hollywood's golden age perfectly, and the melodrama chapel feels like stepping into a soap opera set. You enter through the base and spiral upward through themed rooms that feel more like theater sets than traditional museum spaces. The installations use original equipment: zoetropes from the 1830s, Lumière brothers' projectors, and contemporary digital displays that respond to your movement. The building's soaring interior amplifies every sound, creating an almost cathedral-like atmosphere that makes the film artifacts feel sacred. The glass panoramic lift shoots through the tower's center to the 85-meter viewing platform, offering Alpine views that extend to Mont Blanc on clear days. Most visitors rush through to reach the lift, but the museum deserves the full two hours even if you're not a film buff. Skip the gift shop (overpriced movie posters) and invest the EUR 8 extra for the lift: the view justifies the cost and the ride itself is thrilling. The EUR 15 museum entry feels steep until you experience how thoughtfully everything's designed. Closed Mondays, and weekend mornings are surprisingly quiet compared to afternoons.

2-2.5 hoursExplore

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