Tulips, Fashion, Food in the Pralormo castle

In Piedmont we are very lucky people, in fact, we have more castles than the Loire Valley in France!
Many of these castles have always something going on, from festivals to presentations, even movie and fashion shootings. Naturally most castles have beautiful gardens and many are still inhabited by the original noble families who built it centuries ago.
Some castles are also open to the public who can choose among medieval, renaissance, baroque or a more contemporary castle.

During the tulip season though, the castle of choice is il castello di Pralormo or the Pralormo castle!

Located at just about 1h driving from Turin, this castle was built back in the Middle Ages and the descendants of the first counts of Pralormo have been living there since 1600!

Vermouth means Turin

Think of a cocktail or a cocktail builder and you'll instantly think of Vermouth. No matter where you are, either looking at a vintage vermouth poster in Ohio, or strolling downtown Turin, the connection between this drink and the city will stand out right away.

Martini & Rossi vintage poster 

Turin for coffee lovers

Some say you can tell the real soul of a city by the local habits and how the locals spend their free time. If it is true then, Turin's soul is in its cafés and its love for coffee and hot chocolate.

In fact, as a typical 18th century city, Turin has always had the bug for coffee, coffee houses and even chocolate houses. Here, intellectuals, politicians and authors have always enjoyed their espresso cups, bicerin or even only the velvety quiet of the café to regroup their ideas.
Turin's deep love for coffee is reinstated by the different Italian coffee brands founded in the city (e.g.: Lavazza, Vergnano, Costadoro) and even Bialetti, the famous Italian percolator, was invented in Piedmont!
Many cultures in the world definitely share the coffee rite and many other Italian cities are famous for their cafés, however, only Turin really offers so many opportunities to enjoy coffee in a full royal way!

Caffé Mulassano in Piazza Castello

Ishita's St.Michael's Abbey

Ishita Sood is an Indian blogger who visited Italy for a couple of weeks and fell in love. Since then, she has been writing, reading and researching on the country. Ishita plans to return to the country soon and visit the unexplored regions. She writes the blog, Italophilia! Italy, Books, and More..! 

Sacra di San Michele