Turin is not a very nice city

I actually don't remember about 90% of what they said because I was falling asleep, but two sentences stick in my mind word for word. She said, "Turin is an industrial city. Turin is not a very nice city."

I wanted to say, "But it's a very nice city! What do you know and what do you mean by "not very nice," anyway?"

I love Turin and its kilometers of porticoed sidewalks (the most in Europe, with 18 km and 12 km unbroken), the winding, Florence-like Quadrilatero section and the straight, wide streets in the historical center. The Alps on the horizon, beautiful buildings.

It has some of my favorite museums ever, like the Egyptian Museum (second biggest in the world right after the one in Cairo) or the Pietro Micca Museum (underground!); it has a large selection of excellent restaurants, and burgeoning local food shops coming to life all over the place. Cultural events are held all the time, both exclusively hosted or free, national, or international (Turin Jazz Festival, Slow Food's Salone del Gusto, Cioccolatò).

It's got the best damn gelato I've ever had. That means more to me than you can imagine. What's more, new gelaterie (gelato shops) are popping up all the time -- all-natural, organic, 100% Piemontese, you-name-it, and they are all good.

The metro is quiet, clean, regular -- just one line, yes, but it's just right. Turin is very liveable, with lots of green spaces and parks. And the Alpine horizon on a clear day stands out in the sun, inspiring, reminding this WV girl that she's not trapped in concrete.

But my favorite thing to do in Turin is to walk the streets, usually starting at Piazza XVII Dicembre to pass the dark angel statue and obelisk under which are, apparently, the gates of hell (Turin is known for its legends, superstitions, ghost stories, and black magic), meandering down Via Garibaldi. There are shops, cafes, talented local street musicians (I recently heard Karin and the Ugly Barnacles), jewelry makers, and an interesting cast of characters that come in every city.

Turin has an atmosphere that reminds me of Prague, perhaps, or sections of Florence or even an undefined city in France. I can't quite put my finger on it, because it is also undeniably an Italian city.

Okay, so yes, there's industry. But it's outside of the city and probably brings in a lot of the city's wealth. You're not going to walk by smokestacks and warehouses in the center.