Northwest Italy boasts major cities, but its greatest lures are sublime food and wine, its many outdoor activities, and the beauty of its magnificent mountain and coastal landscapes. - Reprinted from National Geographic Traveler

Pages: 240

Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches

Weight: 12.8 ounces

Maps: Regional maps, limited number of street maps. Since the book is too heavy to carry with you there is not really a need for street maps

Pictures: Excellent pictures printed on glossy paper

Torino, Italy has great wine, delicious chocolate and a coffee drink that is guaranteed to warm your soul on a cold winter night. The Bicerin is a heavenly combination of hot cocoa, espresso and cream layered in a small glass. The coffee is sipped through the cream creating a rich experience.

Bicerin (pronounced bee-cheh-REEN) is dialect for little glass. This coffee drink is a staple of Torino, Italy's centuries old coffee culture. The Bicerin gained popularity in the mid-1800's and counted Alexander Dumas, the author of the Three Muskateers among its fans.

Although you can order a Bicerin in almost any cafè in Torino, Italy many believe that the best is served at Al Bicerin a shop that dates from 1763 in the Piazza della Consolata. Up to 300 cups may be served in a single day.

In a country where it is difficult to find a bad meal, Torino, Italy is known for its culinary excellence. Perhaps their success lies in the heavy use of eggs, cream, butter and fresh ingredients. Or maybe it is their sheer enjoyment in the preparation and consumption of a meal. After all Torino, Italy is not far from Bra, Italy the home of the slow food movement.

Fresh ingredients are the key to success in cooking a good meal, and that is particularly true in Torino, Italy. Herbs are picked from window boxes, vegetables are dug up in backyard gardens and local produce is purchased at fresh food markets.

As in the rest of Italy, anchovies are used in many dishes. The flavor is subtle, so even if you are not normally a fan of anchovies give them a try. Most likely you will be pleasantly surprised.

Not only does Torino, Italy have truffles, great wines and hundred's of cafés where you can enjoy all types of coffees it is also the birthplace of solid chocolate! There are more chocolatiers in Torino, Italy than in France and Belgium combined.

Torino, Italy takes its chocolate seriously and producing chocolate is big business in the city. There are hundred of chocolatiers in Torino from large producers that export their products to small family run business that have been around for hundreds of years.

Torino has had a love affair with chocolate for over 300 years when the Turinese (the people of Torino) began producing solid chocolate. Prior to the production of solid chocolate, chocolate had been consumed as a beverage. In 1678 the queen of the Savoy State granted the first chocolate license to Giò Antonio Ari a Turinese chocolate maker. With this license Ari could sell chocolate as a drink to the public.

The eyes of the world will turn to Torino, Italy this Friday for the opening of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. Knowing a few facts about the host city will make your viewing or visiting more meaningful.

So what do you need to know about Torino? Here are 18 interesting facts about Torino:

Torino sits in the northwest corner of Italy on the river Po in the Piemonte region of Italy with the Alps to the west and north. At this point the river Po flows north

Torino, Italy is the largest city to host the winter Olympic Games with around 900,000 residents. The city and surrounding area has a population of around 1.5 million inhabitants

Many guidebooks talk about what the city of Torino, Italy does not have. It does not have the beautiful views of Cinque Terre, the ancient ruins of Rome, the art of Florence, the weather of Sicily or the tourist appeal of Sienna. People are more likely to talk about the economy of Torino, rather than its beauty and history.

As tourists visiting Torino, Italy for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games will discover there is both beauty and history to be found in Torino, not to mention great food and wine. 

Torino is a city that is full of parks, palaces, arcades, cafés and colleges. The city has been the seat of a university since the Middle Ages.

Are you going to Torino for the winter Olympics?  If so, you will not want to miss seeing the Shroud of Turin.  Mystery has surrounded the Shroud of Turin for hundreds of years.  Is it really the image of the body of Christ?  Or is it a hoax?

The Shroud of Turin is one of the most famous medieval relics in the world.  It is said that the shroud is the winding sheet used to wrap Christ after his crucifixion.  According to one version of the story the shroud was taken from Jerusalem to Cyprus to France where the Savoy’s came into possession in 1453. The shroud was first displayed in the Torino cathedral in 1694.