Lula Broglio

What’s special about Turin?

What’s special about Turin is that it feels like an ancient time machine.

It's an intimate and mysterious city that makes you relive past emotions and sensations. When I talk about Turin I always say that after spending some time in the city, you start becoming part of its architecture. For example, for a long time I felt like a building from the 1950s, the ones with the glass chandeliers and refined, welcoming entrances adorned with a faded and dusty carpet. Currently, however, I feel different - more messed up and wild - like one of those paths that you find in the hills that have not been paved for years now, neglected but leading to beautiful places.

Turin offers intoxicating moods, mysteries and elegant landmarks - these are the reasons that will make you come back.

As an artist, what are the places in the city you like to visit and that inspire you?

Turin is a motionless zoo, an open-air stone bestiary. On the monuments and palaces you can discover animals and mythological figures such as horses, dragons, bulls, dogs, elephants and bats. They stand there, motionless and in my opinion they change expressions as soon as I look at them. To notice it, just look up above the doors and under the windows. Walking and observing the gargoyles is definitely one of my favorite things to do in the city.

Other places that for me are extremely evocative and also fun are the bars in Turin, which always inspire me at any time of day or night. I like to go to historical places for coffee, such as Mulassano, Baratti e Milani and Platti but also to Nora Book, a cafe and bookshop specialised in gender, feminism and culture issues. 

Flori House is a parlour where you can drink cocktails, eat and buy perfumes and essences.

The Luxemburg Bookshop and Erboristeria La Vigna are among my favorite places in the city together with Nautilus Antiques, Paint it Black and Virgo Torino, a sort of esoteric boutique, a wunderkammer.

The Mad Dog Social Club is a cocktail bar, a Savoy speakeasy, where you can listen to excellent live music and observe bizarre characters until late at night.

If you spend time in the city, even just for a weekend, you cannot miss an event at the Funky * Club. Al Jazira, Viet Caffe, Curry e co, Oh Crispa and I Barbituraci are ethnic restaurants and street food places where I go quite often, not only for the excellent cuisine but also for the nice atmosphere and crowd.

Your favourite museums? 

I love spending time in museums so it’s a long list: Il museo egizio, Il museo d'arte orientale, Casa Rama, Casa Mollino, Il castello di Rivoli, I Musei Reali, Gam, La Pinacoteca Agnelli, Barriera, OGR, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Museo del fantastico e della fantascienza, Museo Lombroso.

Do you believe Turin is a stimulating city for creatives?

Turin is a city where you can still find many industrial spaces which are perfect for artists’ studios; it’s also still quite cheap compared to other cities and this makes it a really good place to live in for an artist.

Given Turin is the city of Artissima, tell us some addresses worth checking out for contemporary art lovers!

In addition to the museums I already mentioned, you should check out: Fondazione Merz, PAV, Gallerie d’Italia, Camera, Cripta 747, Il Museo della Montagna. As for galleries and independent spaces: Guido Costa, Franco Noero, Giorgio Persano, Norma Mangione, Tucci Russo,  Eve Leibe, Associazione Bastione, Almanac, Quartz studio, Mucho Mas and Osservatorio futura.

The best restaurants to taste the delicious local cuisine?

Let’s start by saying that in Turin it really is difficult to end up in a restaurant where you’re not gonna be satisfied. Here’s a list of my favorite piole (typical Piedmontese trattorias): Bon Bon, Da Michele, Le Ramine, Trattoria Bologna, L'ultima Spiaggia, Trattoria Decoratori e Imbianchini, Ranzini and Da Celso. 

As for my favourite restaurants, offering a plant-based cuisine and a selection of traditional local dishes, I have to include Soul Kitchen, L'Orto già Salsamentario, and the best vegan restaurant in Turin, La Mezzaluna.

Turin is also famous for its chocolate - where do you go to when you’re craving it?

Chocolate lovers should head over to La piccola bottega di Giordano, Guido Castagna, Gobino and Baratti e Milano. In all these chocolate shops you can taste typical chocolates from Turin such as the gianduiotto, cremino, cri cri and many others. 

Any boutique hotels to suggest?

My favourite boutique hotels in town are Look To, a boutique hotel that feels like a home designed and owned by an architect; Oriana Homel, offering 8 suites in the heart of the city and La casa del Pingone, the perfect base for both tourists and people who come for work, boasting 6 suites, meeting spaces and a cool bar. Last but not least I really like Hotel dei Pittori, Bnb via dei stampatori and Agora Botique Hotel.