Chocolate and Gianduja crème, Martini and the rite of the aperitif, important wines and the best of Italian cuisine: in Torino, food is both pleasure and cult

Torino is the heart of Piemonte's gastronomy. The city has always been the native soil of famous chefs and grand gourmets, and it has brought forth extraordinary, inimitable and world-famous specialties, like gianduja crème, a delicacy made with cocoa and hazelnuts that has made its name around the world thanks to the small "gianduiotti" and the famous crème spread. But chocolate - a favorite of the Savoy dynasty since the 17th century that today has been taken to new heights of excellence by the many artisan laboratories - is only the sweetest of Torino's culinary inventions. One of the bitterest is a famous recipe that is based on a masterly infusion of flavors: vermouth, a wine mixed with thirteen herbs and spices that Antonio Benedetto Carpano began preparing in Piazza Castello in 1786. The most famous drink in the world still stars in a typically local rite: the aperitif. In the most modern bars, like in the historical cafés - which for centuries have welcomed intellectuals, tourists and business people to its tables - a before-dinner drink accompanied by countless nibbles is a rite that can't be missed.

After the aperitif, mealtime features one of the world's most varied cuisines: grissini, agnolotti, bagna caoda, mixed boiled meats, cheeses, precious truffles, all washed down with Piemonte's grand red wines like Barolo, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Barbera, plus marvelous white wines such as Spumante, Arneis, Moscato and prized Passito. And afterwards, a coffee, one of Italy's excellences that artisan laboratories and important local producers have valorized to the utmost.