Turin's historic cafés on the Locali Storici d'Italia register

Map of 4 locations in Turin, Italy

The Locali Storici d'Italia register admits a room only if it has kept the fittings and the trade it started with, which in Turin means gilded stucco, mahogany cases and a vermouth cabinet rather than a plaque on a wall. These four sit within a few hundred metres of each other under the arcades of the old Savoy centre, and each one claims a specific invention or ritual: the tramezzino, the Risorgimento back room, the Carpano recipe, the royal confectionery counter. Addresses, hours and what the place actually sells, verified rather than repeated.

Places in this collection

  • Stratta — A confetteria rather than a café, in business under the arcades of Piazza San Carlo since 1836 and an official supplier to the Savoy royal…
  • Caffè Elena — Between its opening year of 1889 and 1902, Giuseppe Carpano refined his forebear Antonio Benedetto Carpano's 1786 vermouth recipe on these…
  • Caffè San Carlo — Open since 1822 and the first place in the city lit by gas, it became a meeting point for Risorgimento patriots and intellectuals. A refurb…
  • Caffè Mulassano — The business dates to 1879 but has occupied this small mirrored room off Piazza Castello since 1907, with coffered wood ceilings and Madeir…

Related collections