Turin & the Alps - Italy - page 432

and cost just 8. Try the hearty tortelloni alla salsiccia (a large pasta shell stuffed with

sausage) or peposelle (a thick pasta tossed with Gorgonzola and walnuts).

€

€€ Da Mauro (Via Maria Vittoria, 21, between Via Bogino and Via San Francesco
da Paola; % 011-8170604; no credit cards; Tues-Sun) is more relaxed than many
Torinese restaurants, and if the informal ambience and the menu remind you of
regions farther south, your instincts are right. The family who owns the restaurant
emphasizes Tuscan dishes, though the menu seems to run the gamut of Italian
cooking. There are several spicy pasta dishes, including deftly prepared cannelloni
for

6, and the meat courses are similar to those you would find in Tuscany—sim-
ply grilled or roasted steak, pork chops, and game birds for just € 6.20 to € 7.50.

€

(Piazza Vittorio Veneto, 2; % 011-8173500; Wed-Sun,
Tues dinner only) is probably the most popular trattoria in Turin. Seating is family

55

Porto di Savano €€

Turin's Renowned Cafes
Cafe-sitting is a centuries-old tradition in sophisticated Turin. Via Roma,
and the piazze that open off of it, is lined with gracious salons that have
been serving coffee, and the world's first aperitif—that Turin invention
called vermouth—for decades. Espresso and pastries are the mainstays of
every cafe's menu, but most also serve chocolates—including the mix of
chocolate and hazelnuts known as gianduiotti —that are among the city's
major contributions to culinary culture.

(Piazza della Consolata, 5; % 011-
4369325; www.bicerin.it; Thurs-Tues) claims to be Turin's oldest continu-
ously operating cafe (since 1763). It is famous for the illustrious clientele,
which has included Nietzsche, Dumas, and Puccini, as well as for its sig-
nature drink, the bicerin (local dialect for “something delicious”), a heady
combination of coffee, hot chocolate, and cream. The house pastries are
exquisite.
€ Part of the pleasure at stylish Caffè-Pasticceria Baratti e Milano
(Piazza Castello, 27; % 011-4407138; Tues-Sun), opened in 1875, is
watching a diverse clientele sipping espressos and munching on the deli-
cious house pastries—the crowd ranges from auto executives to students
from the nearby university, and from elegantly clad shoppers to visitors to
the nearby museums.

5

Caffè Confetteria al Bicerin €

(Piazza San Carlo, 156; % 011-
5617748; www.caffesancarlo.it) opened its doors in 1837, and ever since
has been an essential stop on any tour of Turin, accommodating patrons
beneath a huge chandelier of Murano glass in a salon that houses a
remarkable assemblage of gilt, mirrors, and marble. An adjoining frescoed
tearoom is quieter and only a little less grand.

5

The classic Caffè San Carlo €