Turin - the capital of Piedmont in northern Italy - is known for its many cafés, Piedmontese cuisine and architectural diversity. Here, the modern way of life meets magnificent historical buildings. We visited the city for the first time around four years ago and were already impressed back then. Now we had the opportunity to return to the city of good taste for another four days and enjoy a little "La Dolce Vita".
But let's start from the beginning. Anyone who knows us or has been following us here on the blog for a long time knows that we not only cook with essential oils, but also work with them and support families in discovering a healthy lifestyle. But what does our work with oils have to do with our trip to Turin? Quite simply! The company we work with, DōTERRA, organizes a large convention in Europe every year, where new products are presented, scientific lectures are held and various workshops and training courses are offered. This year, the huge event took place in Turin, on the former Fiat site "Lingotto". For two whole days, we were able to learn many exciting things and spend an unforgettable time. Here you can read our exclusive travel report about the convention. So we were on a training trip, or as they say nowadays on a "workation".
However, as we also wanted to see something of the culture and the city itself, we quickly decided to extend the short trip to four days and combine work with pleasure. And this much in advance: this decision was more than worth it.
Day 1 - Arrival, tasting,
On the day of our arrival, we set off in the early hours of the morning in the direction of Turin. After about 5 hours and an extremely adventurous drive through Turin, we finally arrived at our home for the next few days - a modern loft with an elegant design and industrial charm. As we already had plans for the rest of the day, we unfortunately didn't have much time to explore the apartment. Our next destination was the winery "Tenuta La Meridiana", which is located about an hour from Turin in the vast hills of Asti. Thanks to our good friends from Marvini Wines in Pratteln, with whom we will be working in the future, we were already familiar with the top wine from "Tenuta La Meridiana". Tra la Terra e il cielo is a top-class Barbera d'Asti. With its fine notes of rosemary and red fruit, this wine is the perfect accompaniment to a nice dinner. We like to drink this wine with a dish stewed with rosemary or a hearty pasta. In short: you are guaranteed not to go wrong with this Barbera d'Asti and will delight every wine lover. A real insider tip. So it's no wonder that, while we were in the area, we absolutely had to visit Frederico at his winery and get to know his other products. He proudly showed us around his production facility, where he explained all the processes and methods in detail. Afterwards, we were allowed to taste his first-class wines. Frederico explained the background and history of each of his wines and skillfully guided us through his extensive range. You could feel his great passion for his work, which is also reflected in the first-class quality of the wines.
On the way back to Turin, we stopped in a small village and ate a simple but delicious dinner, just like at "mom's" house. A perfect start to our four-day trip to Italy.
Day 2 - "La Dolce Vita" in Turin
We spent our second day in Turin with many other oil enthusiasts at the old Fiat site "Lingotto". After a long day full of impressions and new experiences, we then made our way to the city center, where we met our parents in an old coffee house. There, as befits Turin - the city where aperitivo was invented - we first had an aperitivo with delicious snacks.
And of course, the absolute number 1 in Turin was not to be missed: a bicerin. This has been Turin's "national drink" since the 18th century. The hot drink consists of 3 layers; hot chocolate, espresso and whipped cream on top. Important: do not stir! The typical drink is intentionally drunk in such a way that the different layers are felt in the mouth at different times.
Afterwards, we went on a short discovery tour through the city, where we admired the old architecture and the impressive arcades. On the way to the old town, our cab driver told us why there are so many arcades in Turin. The king at the time wanted to avoid the inconvenience of carrying an umbrella in bad weather on his shopping trips through the city and therefore had the arcades built, which the many residents and tourists still appreciate today. After exploring Turin for a while, we went on a short shopping tour (it was a must - after all, it's not every day you're in Italy, the land of fashion) before having dinner in a small, almost inconspicuous restaurant. At Da Frasca, the chef serves a small but fine selection of Piedmontese specialties, all freshly prepared and not expensive. We still rave about the delicious gnocchi with a hearty salsiccica sauce, the freshly made pasta and the tasty bonet, a Piedmontese chocolate flan.
Day 3 - Pure enjoyment
After a full day of lectures, new information and lots of impressions, we left the Lingotto district and made our way to Turin's oldest chocolatier - Peyrano. Since 1920, they have been creating true chocolate dreams that melt in your mouth and remind you what good taste and indulgence mean. Today, they still make chocolate and pralines according to centuries-old recipes, but are always on the lookout for fresh and innovative approaches.
As soon as we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by Alessandro and his team and introduced to the history and tradition of the Peyrano brand. He proudly presented us with the extraordinary creations, such as a praline with bergamot and rosemary. A taste explosion that is almost beyond words.
Speaking of taste explosions. Chocolate and essential oils harmonize incredibly well together. It's almost as if they were made for each other. Alessandro was also convinced of this when we told him about the fragrant essences and let him try them.
We can hardly wait to return to Turin this fall to present our oils to the Peyrano chocolatier and are excited to see what he will conjure up with them.
After this delightful experience, we went into the city center with lots of chocolates and sweets for home, where we ended the evening with our family. Strolling through the old arcades of the city, we found a small restaurant where we had dinner. At the Caffé della Basilica, we enjoyed a wonderful last evening and brought our short trip to Turin to a leisurely close.
Day 4 - In food paradise
Although we were only in Turin for four days, the time felt a lot longer. Perhaps this is because we had so many great experiences in those few days. One thing is for sure, we will definitely be back to Turin, if only for the impressive architecture and the good food.
Of course, as food bloggers, we can't resist delving into the culinary delights of the country or region and always have to take food home with us from our vacations. After all, I want to try out the traditional dishes at home and cook them for you. For this reason, we stopped off at a huge organic food store in Turin, IperBiobottega, on our way home. The huge selection in this store is absolutely amazing and, as you can imagine, one or two products ended up in our shopping cart. Pasta, risotto, vegetables, sugo and much more had to be taken home with us.
So look forward to seeing which delicious, typical Piedmontese recipes we will be presenting here on the food blog soon.
And then, sadly, it was already "Goodbye Turin" and we set off on our journey home with lots of great memories, souvenirs and treats. But one thing we can say with certainty: we'll be back! And next time we will take the time to explore the city and its sights in more detail. Stay tuned, because we will also take you on our next trip and introduce you to the culture in more detail.
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