April in Turin

April always makes a great month to visit Turin: the days are longer and the weather is generous enough to allow you to eat out in the many cozy piazzas and pedestrian streets.

Besides our humongous Easter chocolate eggs, and the endless list of artisan chocolate makers, you should try before the chocolate season ends, there are also other events that make April a good month to visit Torino.

Most events of 2019 happen after Easter. So, if you are planning a visit in the first 3 weeks of April check our suggestions here.

If you tango: just imagine what an experience it is to dance inside the Venaria Royal Palace during the Tango days on April 19th-21st

The Royal Palace of Venaria is Turin's Versailles

our sweet emergency kit

During college, or studying abroad, or working far from home, raise up your hand, amici, if you haven't received at least one care package sent by a thoughtful relative or friend!

How soothing it was, wasn't it?

Well, as for us, besides being the happy recipients of a very much appreciated basic necessities bag put together by Chiara of Latteria Bera we were also awarded a sweet emergency kit 🙆

foodies' basic necessities

Some weeks ago we talked to you about Chiara and her nonna's dairy, Latteria Bera founded in Turin in 1958.

Now you may think that any dairy is the same and all you can get is just dairy based products. Sure, they may differ locally, but it's always cheese, butter, milk, eggs and yogurt, and that's basically it.

Well, that's not the case with this historic latteria that is more to be considered like a gourmet dairy and a small production specialty shop 😎 

Today we would like to share with you what Chiara's basic necessities bag contained for us... just in case you needed some culinary shopping ideas when in Turin 😉

THE cheese pioneer

In Turin we have many problems and Latteria Bera, in Via San Tommaso 13, right downtown is one of them 😂 

This historic dairy was founded in 1958 by Ms Romola, our friend Chiara's nonna who had always dreamed of owning and managing her own cheese business.

there's always something interesting in the Latteria Bera windows!

t-day cranberry risotto

An eyelash bat and the Holidays are here!
This is the Thanksgiving Day week for all our American friends celebrating around the world 🙌

As we are often asked for some menu suggestions, today we are sharing our recipe for our cranberry risotto aka the top risotto for  turkey day 👌

Before we head over to the recipe and the wine pairings, we would like to include a short note about cranberries for all our friends who happen to have access to them but have never really bought or tried them.

As one of the native fruits of North America, cranberries are a vital ingredient of the T-day dinner menu and thanks to their many nutritional properties, they have many good benefits for our bodies.  Fresh and dry, they can be used in a variety of recipes, both sweet and savory. Enjoy this short clip about North American cranberries, reminding you they differ from those grown in the European wetlands.

risotto 101

Risotto is one of the staple foods here in Piedmont and most def one of our comfort foods 🙆 fairly quick and easy to make, it's always a very versatile dish that you can make all year long and that brings everybody together at the table.

Risotto with Barolo red wine by Chef Marco Giachello for the TurinEpi17 cooking class

Piedmont fritto misto

In Piedmont, the colder months of the year traditionally translates into a fried feast. From porcini mushrooms to savory and fried meats up to fruit and fried sweets, because virtually anything can make up the fritto misto alla piemontese or mixed fried dish à la Piedmontese 👌

Photo courtesy of Sale e Pepe

2018 Food U.N.

For the 12th time, even years in Turin mean Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto aka the Food United Nations organized by the Slow Food movement.

the snail is the Slow Food symbol, here in front of Palazzo Madama in 2016

Ramassin

Without any doubt one of the Piedmont's culinay joys are our ramassin plums 😋

These super sweet and aromatic tiny plums are native of southwest Piedmont which means you will not be able to enjoy them outside our cool region... 😎

ramassins and Alessi bird set designed in Piedmont courtesy of Valentina from Chivasso

Through Hell to Heaven!

We are happy to share with you all, amici, another guest post by Jim and Julia Dunlop who took part to Turin Epicurean Capital in 2016.

As they are deeply in love with Turin and Piedmont, they never miss any chance to visit.

To read their previous guest post, click on the links: guest post 1 about Lake Orta, guest post 2 about their experience at TurinEpi16, food and wine in Turin!

3 tips for Turin

Piazza Castello, with Palazzo Madama

Here are 3 simple things to keep in mind when planning your trip over to Turin (and Piedmont).

grissini: a royal treat

Most people outside of Italy are familiar with American breadsticks; most tourists in Italy and die hard Italians outside of the boot enjoy their lunch meats rolled up on a grissino or ... Italian breadstick.

bottom left: firt rate, bottom right: Turin style

pastries in Turin

When in Turin do like the Turinese and have pastries 😆

5 Turin tips

We are often asked the following questions about how to organize your trip over to Turin so today, we are answering to all of you!

Palazzo Scaglia di Verrua, Renaissance in Turin, see if you can find it!

Sweet life at the Turin's Lab

Let's face it, in the Italian tidy meal schedule, snacking and brunching don't traditionally fit in. Of all the Italian cities, in Turin finding a good tea time place is a task, our favorite is still Clarissa in Piazza Vittorio Veneto 😎

But just a couple blocks away, there is a magic door, you open it and instantly become Alice in Wonderland, celebrating your very merry unbirthday!

Turin for beer lovers

Besides being worldly renowned for its top quality wines, Piedmont is also the second top brewing region in Italy with a long European brewing tradition!

So beer lovers, you will find many amazing craft beers over here and foodies, you will certainly gets inspired by the new flavors to make new recipes for breads, risottos, roasts and even cakes.

If you are in Turin and love beer, or are just curious to taste our local productions, you must visit at least these 5 breweries.

Executive Hotel: an art gallery

In 2017 Turin Epicurean Capital has grown up, we needed a new partner hotel to host our guests, this is how we got to collaborate with Best Western Plus Executive Hotel and Suites in Via Nizza 28.

As always we like to rely on hotels with very high standards that are also conveniently located downtown so that our guests can just walk everywhere, because this is the most immediate way to get to know Turin.

the Executive Hotel internal hall is an informal meeting space