Other Must-See Spots
As you no doubt have figured out by now, the northwestern section of Italy is so diverse that you could travel here for months and still find new, interesting sights every day. A few more places you might want to put on your list are Turin, Valle D'aosta, and Gran Paradiso National Park.
Turin
The city of Turin is home to about 900,000 people. It hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics, but the city is best known for its strong manufacturing base. Fiat is based here, and the Lingotto building — which is now a multipurpose tourist facility with a concert hall, shops, and more — was previously the largest car factory in the world.
Most visitors make a stop at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, where the Shroud of Turin — believed to be Jesus' burial cloth — is kept. A tour takes you beneath the church, where you can see artifacts related to the shroud and view a video about it.
Fact
One of the pieces you can see at Museo Egizo is a mummy that the museum's team discovered in an Egyptian tomb. The mummy was found along with items believed to be needed in the afterlife, including loaves of bread, clay pots, bandages, head rests, and sandals.
Another popular tourist destination in Turin is Museo Egizo, which houses one of the largest collections of Egyptian antiquities outside of Egypt. About 500,000 people visit each year, looking at everything from paintings to papyrus collections. The museum is the only one of its kind outside of Cairo, specializing solely in Egyptian art and culture. There are exhibitions, guided tours, and educational programs on-site. You can learn about them by viewing the English version of the museum's website,
Also worth a look is the Museo Nazionale del Cinema, which showcases not just Italian films throughout history, but also the cameras and sets used to create various movies. There's an onsite theater that hosts screenings and special events such as discussions with filmmakers. You can also take a ride up the glass elevator to the rooftop terrace. Details are available in English at
Question
What is patois? Patois is regional language spoken by more than half the people who live in the Aosta Valley region. Although Italian is of course spoken here, French is, too, thanks to the proximity of the border. Patois is a Franco-Proven çal dialect typically spoken as a second language among the area's residents.
Valle d'Aosta
The Aosta Valley is at the base of the Alps, and as such attracts travelers interested in winter sports. The best-known resorts are in Courmayeur and Breuil-Cervina, but there are plenty of smaller, lesser-known options as well. There are castles galore, too, since this area was a place that dignitaries were keen to stop and enjoy as they made their way across the Alps throughout the centuries.
All levels of skiers, from beginners to experts, can find challenging slopes in the valley, and you can get an Aosta Valley Lift Pass that will let you ski or snowboard at multiple resorts, sometimes crossing international borders into Switzerland and France. A good website with ski maps and more information about the valley is
If you visit here, be sure to pack the warmest layered clothing you can find. The climate is considered severe. The higher you go, of course, the colder it gets, and some of the peak areas are designated as tundra — yes, tundra, like what you find in the Arctic. You can rest assured that if you're staying in a main resort area, there will be plenty of shops ready to sell you a well-insulated new parka with mittens to match.
Gran Paradiso National Park
This national park is Italy's oldest, named for the Gran Paradiso mountain that is within the park borders. The land was originally set aside as a hunting preserve for the Alpine ibex, which looks sort of like a ram and was thought to have therapeutic properties, such as a heart bone that could protect people against violent death. There are still about 4,000 ibex living in the park, which was established in 1922 and today encompasses nearly 175,000 acres, including fifty-nine glaciers.
Essential
If you plan to hike along the trails at Gran Paradiso National Park, then bring a good map and leave your favorite Fido at home. The park requests that all hikers stick to the marked lanes instead of tramping all over the local vegetation, and dogs are forbidden, even on a leash, because some pets have mauled the native animals in the past.
You can camp here, or go hiking for the day and then stay at one of the many hotels just beyond the park's borders. Entrance to the park itself is free. The northern section of the park is most popular with tourists thanks to picnicking areas, easily accessible lodging, and spectacular views. There's a botanical garden on site, and interpretive guided walks are available during the most popular tourism months of April through October. Another interesting option for touring is the Ecomuseum Copper Forge, which dates to 1675 and gives you an idea of how the locals worked with copper using blast furnaces in the pre-industrial age. Learn more at the park's website (which is offered in English),
