Piedmont & Liguria Travelers Recommend

For a city with the dubious reputation of being ‘industrial’, Turin’s center positively sparkles with architectural gems. The ornate Palazzo Reale does Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous, 17th-century style, with gardens designed by none other than André le Nôtre, creator of those at Versailles. Palazzo Madama blends Baroque and Medieval to stunning effect, while Palazzo Bricherasio was once wrapped by artist Christo! You could spend weeks exploring Turin’s amazing museums: Museo dell’Automobile, with hundreds of famous and unique cars; Museo Egizio, one of the world’s finest collections of ancient Egyptian art; the blockbusting Museo Nazionale del Cinema, a cinephile’s dream – and so much more. Culture amateurs will wonder why they didn’t visit earlier. Legend has it that Turin is divided into two distinct halves: one sacred (ruled by white magic influences) and the other evil (black magic). Why not decide for yourself by touring the city’s key occult landmarks?

Genoa is a great city in which to spend a few days, mostly because you can take your sightseeing relatively slowly and still have time for a top-notch day trip. You can walk 1.5 miles on the Corso Italia all the way to the little fishing village of Boccadasse, which gives you a chance to see what a small Genoa neighbourhood looked like before it was a big city and also to take advantage of nice weather. There are several museums worth checking out on the fashionable Via Garibaldi in Genoa's historic center. These museums and galleries were once private palaces – the entire street is lined with buildings that used to be the homes of Genoa's wealthy families – and they give you a fantastic look not only at some beautiful artwork but also how noble families lived in the 17th and 18th centuries. For those of you who'd like to get out of the city, you could go to the picturesque town of Portofino for high-end shopping and leisurely dining.