Turin

Turin was the seat of the House of Savoy and the first capital of Italy after unification, and it looks like neither Rome nor Milan: a Roman grid filled with baroque and neoclassical building, eighteen kilometres of arcaded pavement, and a series of royal residences carrying a joint World Heritage listing. The Mole Antonelliana was begun as a synagogue, ran wildly over budget, and was on its completion in 1889 the tallest brick building in Europe - the top of its spire, torn off by a 1953 storm, was rebuilt as a metal frame faced in stone - and since 2000 it has held the national cinema museum, with a glass lift running up the middle of the void. The Egyptian Museum holds the largest collection outside Cairo.

What you actually see

• The Egyptian Museum - the largest collection outside Cairo.
• The Mole Antonelliana - the cinema museum in a spiralling brick tower.
• The Savoy residences - the palaces and hunting lodges, jointly listed.
• The arcades - eighteen kilometres of covered pavement.

When to go

April to June and September to October. Turin is cold and often foggy in winter, though the Alps are visible from the streets on clear days. The Salone del Gusto and other food events fill the autumn. August empties the city.

Honest expectations

The Shroud is almost never on display and the cathedral holds a replica; expectations need managing. Winter fog can sit for days. The city is less immediately charming than Florence or Venice and rewards a few days rather than a stop. Some Savoy residences are well outside the centre.

Nearby

The Langhe wine country is an hour south; Milan is an hour east.