Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Musical September
September is the month to enjoy classical music in Turin. More than 60 classical
concerts are held on stages around the city during the monthlong
Settembre
Musica festival
(
%
011-4424777; www.settembremusica.it).
advance). Frustratingly, the city's tourist office doesn't list
affittacamere
(rental
rooms), which range in price from
€
20 to
€
80 for a double, though most are in
the
40 bracket. While you can get a list of the 36 rental rooms in Turin
from the
Piemonte Region's official site
(www.regione.piemonte.it),
you have to
use the Italian-language version of the site; the stripped-down English version
doesn't include lodging info. As a shortcut—though, given how websites are some-
times reorganized, a deep link such as this might eventually go out of date—try
typing in www.regione.piemonte.it/turismo/ricettivita.htm to go directly to the
lodgings search-engine page. Just click “Affittacamere” on the left. On the next
page, select “Torino” in the Provincia column, and a list of towns will pop up in
the Comune column to the right. Scroll down to select “Torino” again, then click
“Cerca.” Follow the same steps from that main lodging page to search for
campeggi
(campgrounds),
agriturismi
(farm stays),
ostelli
(hostels),
case vacanze
(residence hotels
and vacation rentals), and other options. There are a number of good, affordable
options, which are fairly represented on the site, for those willing to surf a bit.
You also could simply contact
NorthWestWay/The Salt Way
(
%
0183-
930244; www.northwestway.it),
which rents 10 apartments scattered about town,
sleeping anywhere from two to six people, for a minimum of 3 nights. They range
from basic to quite cushy, so ask a lot of questions before you book if particular
amenities are important to you. Prices start at
€
42 to
€
50 for two people,
€
55
to
€
30-to-
€
95 for four.
Bargains in the Historical Center
€€
I just love it when a hotel with one of the best locations in town also hap-
pens to be one of the cheapest. Tiny
Albergo San Carlo
€
70 for three, or
€
70 to
€
5
(Piazza San Carlo, 197;
%
011-5627846; www.albergosancarlo.it)
isn't fancy, with knocked-about-but-
nice antiques mixed with the functional furnishings, little Persian rugs by the
beds, and quirky touches like the crystal chandelier in room 12, or the marble-
topped dresser and carved headboard in room 7. But the price—
70 for a room
without private bathroom,
€
90 for one with—can't be beat, and the location is
phenomenal: It occupies the fourth floor of the 17th-century Palazzo Isnardi di
Caraglio, flanking the east side of elegant Piazza San Carlo. Ask to see several
rooms, as they differ dramatically in space and atmosphere. The five rooms on the
piazza side have sloping mansard ceilings with dormer windows, and tend to be
larger (if a tad noisier) than rooms 1 to 7 in the back.
€
€€
-
€€€
A few blocks west, just south of Piazza Solferino, are the twin hotels
Artuà & Solferino
5
9
(Via Brofferio, 3, off Corso Re Umberto;
%
011-5175301;
www.artua.it)
—20 rooms evenly split between the fourth floors of neighboring
buildings (you check in at the reception for the “Solferino” half ). This is a real
