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Out of the Arcades: The Best Day Trips from Turin

Turin, ItalyMay 22, 20252 min read
By MASA Editors
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The Sacra di San Michele abbey rising from a rocky peak above the Susa Valley west of Turin, its pale stone walls and ruined tower standing against a wall of snow-covered Alps.01
The Sacra di San Michele abbey rising from a rocky peak above the Susa Valley west of Turin, its pale stone walls and ruined tower standing against a wall of snow-covered Alps.Photo: Simone Franchina / Unsplash

Royal palaces, a clifftop abbey, the Langhe vineyards and a Roman town under the Alps — seven escapes from Turin, ranked by how far they take you from the city and how much they give back.

Turin sits at the top of Italy with the Alps on three sides and Piedmont's wine country below it, which makes it one of the country's great bases. Nothing on this list is more than a couple of hours away, and several are reachable on a suburban ticket.

1. Reggia di Venaria Reale

The Savoy hunting palace on the city's northwestern edge is the easiest big day out and the most spectacular. Its Galleria Grande, a long white barrel-vaulted corridor flooded with light, is one of Europe's great baroque interiors, and the restored gardens run for hectares behind it. Part of the UNESCO-listed Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, and reachable by bus.

Via Roma in Turin at dusk, its long colonnaded arcades receding on both sides of the empty street under a pink and lilac sky, with a tower lit at the far end
Via Roma in Turin at dusk, its long colonnaded arcades receding on both sides of the empty street under a pink and lilac sky, with a tower lit at the far endPhoto: Wendy Dekker / Unsplash

2. Sacra di San Michele

The abbey that crowns Mount Pirchiriano in the Val di Susa is the symbol of Piedmont, and it looks it: a stone church grafted onto a rock spur above the valley, reached by a staircase carved through the mountain. It is widely cited as an inspiration for the monastery in The Name of the Rose. Best with a car, or by train to the valley and a taxi up.

3. Alba and the Langhe

An hour or so south, Alba is the capital of a UNESCO-listed landscape of vineyard hills producing Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera. Autumn brings the white truffle fair and the crowds that follow it; spring and early summer are quieter and the views are just as good. Rent a car if you want to reach the hilltop villages.

Quadrilatero Romano, Turin
Quadrilatero Romano, TurinPhoto: Antonio Sessa / Unsplash

4. Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi

Another Savoy property, this one on the southwestern approach to the city: a rococo hunting lodge built around a vast oval hall, with a bronze stag on the roof. Smaller and stranger than Venaria, and easily a half-day.

5. Aosta

Two hours north by train, in a valley ringed by the highest Alps in Europe. Aosta was a Roman colony and still shows it, with a triumphal arch, a city gate and a theatre facade standing among the modern streets. In winter it doubles as a gateway to the ski valleys.

Cyclists ride across a grand piazza past a fountain and arcaded palazzo at golden hour.
Cyclists ride across a grand piazza past a fountain and arcaded palazzo at golden hour.Photo: Francesco Zivoli / Unsplash

6. Asti and the Monferrato

Asti gives you a handsome medieval centre, the sparkling wine that carries its name, and a bareback Palio horse race in September. The surrounding Monferrato hills, UNESCO-listed alongside the Langhe, are gentler and less visited.

7. Stresa and the Borromean Islands

Lake Maggiore is around two hours away by train, and Stresa is the classic landing point. From its waterfront, boats run out to Isola Bella, with its terraced baroque garden, and Isola dei Pescatori, still a working fishing village. A long day, but a gloriously different one.

Tip: Regional trains from Porta Nuova and Porta Susa cover Aosta, Asti, Alba and the lakes cheaply, but timetables thin out sharply on Sundays and public holidays. Check the return before you commit to the outbound.

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