Luoghi da Visitare · 12 min a piedi
Luoghi da Visitare · 12 min a piedi
Laid out in the 17th century and long nicknamed "il salotto di Torino" — the city's drawing room — Piazza San Carlo is one of Italy's most complete Baroque squares. Continuous porticoes run the full length of both sides, framing the twin churches of Santa Cristina and San Carlo at the southern end and an equestrian statue of Duke Emanuele Filiberto at its centre.
Two of the city's oldest cafés, Caffè San Carlo and Caffè Torino, face each other across the square — both still serving in rooms barely changed since the 19th century. It is the natural starting point for a walk into the rest of the centro storico, and one of the best places in the city simply to sit with a coffee and watch Torino go by.