This year, Torino, or Turin as it is called in English, will play host to the 2006 Winter Olympics. As a result, this ordinarily quiet, industrial city in the northwest of Italy will receive a great deal more international attention than it ever has in the past. And for once, the Torino metro area's 1.7 million residents will feel like they are at the center of the world.
Settlement of the area began with the Taurini, "an ancient Celt-Ligurian people, who occupied the upper valley of the river Po, in the centre of the modern Piedmont" (www.en.wikipedia.org). Eventually, around 28 B.C.E., the Romans made their way to the town, followed, over the centuries, by the Lombards and the Franks. It is, however, the influence of the Romans that is still stamped on the face of the city: The modern-day street plan still bears their hallmarks.
Study Abroad Programs in Torino
Over the intervening years, Torino was sieged, invaded, annexed, or occupied by, among others, the Duchy of Savoy (16th century), the French (18th century), and Napoleon (19th century). Finally, in 1861, Torino became the capital of United Italy. Soon after, however, Florence took over that role, followed soon after by Rome, which is still the capital today.
Modern Torino is known for its role in Italy's industries and economy. It is headquarters to a wide variety of companies, including Fiat, Invicta, and Lavazza (espresso and other coffees), among many others. As a result of Torino's industrial importance, as well as the influx of people expected for the Olympics, the city is in the middle of a major infrastructure overhaul, including the construction of a subway and a vast improvement of the road system.
Food and wine are very important in Torino: Piedmont, the region of which it is the capital, is known throughout the world for its wines, especially the famed Barolo and Barbaresco. Piedmont, because of its natural geography and the historical influence of the French, is home to one of the most beloved cuisined in Italy. Local favorites include mortadella (a kind of salumi), Grana Padano and Taleggio cheeses, and the famed white trufflles, which, in 2005, had a market value of $375 per 100 grams-about the same size as a golf ball.
There is, however, plenty of food that can be enjoyed on a student budget, including the ubiquitous grissini, which are yard-long bread sticks whose mild flavor and pleasing crunch enhance any meal. Torino is also the birthplace of hard chocolate, and today, students can enjoy a wonderful variety of chocolate-based treats.
Torino's architectural highlights include the Palazzo Chiablese and the Villa della Regina, but most people come to Torino for a more religious purpose: To see the Shroud of Turin, "an old linen cloth with an imprint of a man, which is believed by many to be the cloth that covered Jesus in his grave" (www.en.wikipedia.org). There has been much speculation and debate about the authenticity of the Shroud, but that has not diminished people's fascination with it.
University students, both locals and those studying there from abroad, have several schools from which to choose, including the University of Turin, the Politecnico di Torino, and the Instituto Europeo di Design. Students also benefit from the city's enthusiasm for the written word: UNESCO has designated Torino the 2006 World Book Capital. And just because students may be away from their beloved home college football team, they don't necessarily have to put their love of athletics on hold: Torino is home to one of the most famous and beloved of all European soccer teams, Juventus. Their loyal fans can make even the most enthusuiastic Big 10 crowd look downright tame.
Turino, then, has much to offer both tourists and students alike. It is a city whose cosmopolitan present and complicated past combine for form one of the most exciting and alluring cities in Northern Italy.
