Trails of the Unexpected - Turin - British Airways x Culture Trip

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After Hours: Why You Should Take a Tour of Turin’s Lively Nightlife Scene

Turin has transformed into a city where eclectic venues, stylish clubs and underground cocktail bars offer some of the best nightlife in Italy.

Otherwise, foodies can do like the Torinesi and flock to bars to enjoy an aperitivo – a happy hour of cocktails and snacks – to work up an appetite before an evening meal around 9pm. San Salvario is one of the city’s best spots for aperitivo or drinks, with its lively bars spilling onto the streets. Head to Affini, a buzzing cocktail bar located in a former vermouth factory. Invented in Turin in 1786, this fortified white wine became famous the world over with the launch of the Martini brand, and at Affini you can sip on all manner of vermouth-based drinks.

But over the past few months, he says, younger crowds have been spurning the clubs in favour of bars, festivals and new spaces, where they can dip in and out of the fun as they please. “Cultural and music centres offer plenty more ‘experiences’,” he says. “You can enjoy a late-morning brunch, some afternoon music, perhaps a street market, followed by aperitivo and dancing until the early hours – all under one roof. Plus, many are often free.” It just goes to show that although there isn’t a single factor that defines nightlife in Turin, no matter how it evolves, the good times will never stop.

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favour of bars, festivals and new spaces

Younger crowds have been spurning the clubs in

Dine at Affini Vermouth and Cocktail House as Turin is the capital of vermouth - a fortified wine infused with a variety of botanicals

Once known as the home to Fiat, Turin has come a long way since its days as a manufacturing powerhouse. Simmering beneath the surface of its grand, elegant history is an alternative spirit – and by nightfall, the city comes alive with something for everyone. Art and culture fans can get a taste of Turin’s avant-garde soul at the superb Museo Nazionale del Cinema. Open until 11pm on Saturdays, it celebrates the city’s close connection with cinema – after all, the first Italian cinema screening took place in Turin in 1896.

The up-and-coming Vanchiglia district, which is popular with students, is another must-visit destination in the city. “It has some great cocktail bars and pubs,” says Alessandro Nigro, a house and techno DJ who works alongside DJ Andrea Vietti, both regulars on Turin’s underground scene. “New drinking dens and large clubs have sprung up in areas that had long been forgotten. Largely residential, the districts of Aurora and Vanchiglia now have a quirky edgy vibe, with plenty of live music venues, craft beer and wacky food places.” And his favourite spot? “For wine and tapas-style food, I love Str.eat.” he adds.

Q35 is a new nightlife spot in the city that combines industrial and contemporary design

Feast on the best Italian pizza at Rurál in the hip San Salvario area

Choose from the extensive menu of wines, beers and cocktails at the popular Céntral Cocktail Bar

The vast choice of drinks at Céntral Cocktail Bar is helped by a menu that is never set in stone

Located in a place of urban regeneration, EDIT provides a space to explore the senses through gastronomy

OGR is an innovative event space in Turin that host concerts, exhibitions and performing arts shows

Bunker hosts #raveon, a night of inspirational music which runs from September to June every year

Mucho Mas is an independent, non-profit art space showcasing excellent art and photograph

Turin is the place to be for cocktails, music and a night on the tiles in creative spaces

Words by Kiki Deere — Photography by Federico Masini and Rocco Venezia — Illustration by ANa galvaÑ

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and new spaces

favour of bars, festivals

spurning the clubs in

Younger crowds have been

If you’re feeling peckish, cross the city centre and thread your way over a string of pretty canals to reach the infinitely cosy Het Kleinste Huis. This tea room and shop is packed into the smallest house in Amsterdam – 2.02m wide and 5m deep. The ground-floor shop sells an excellent range of teas, plus treats including chocolate, fudge and nougat. Upstairs is where you’ll find the tea room; considering the lack of space and its popularity, it’s worth booking ahead. Alternatively, take a trip down memory lane with a stroll to Sint Annendwarsstraat, the location of TonTon Club. While away the hours in this entertaining retro arcade playing the club’s vintage pinball machines and video games. It’s also got an impressive bar that serves excellent beers, boozy milkshakes and creative Asian-inspired fare such as ramen burgers.

Round off the morning with a quick stop by Foam, a modern, canal-side photography museum that showcases the work of big-name photographers, as well as emerging Dutch talent. For a mid-morning snack, head to the museum’s on-site café for a home-made cake. Next stop? The weird and wonderful Electric Ladyland. This museum of fluorescent art is the first of its kind, courtesy of American artist Nick Padalino. You’ll need to make an appointment to visit, but it’s worth it for the chance to take in the dazzling collections, and even create an artwork of your own.

Start the day at the Bloemenmarkt, the world’s only floating flower market, where bright blooms and blossom-filled stalls drift on a series of pontoons that jut out into the canal. It’s a picturesque spot and the perfect place to appreciate the Netherlands’ national flower: the tulip. Once you’ve taken in the breathtaking array of flowers, and stocked up on bulbs to plant at home, stroll over to Muntplein. This busy little square at the end of the flower market is home to the Munttoren (Mint Tower), which soars above the architecture around it.

Amsterdam might be known for its famous attractions, but tiny tea rooms, fluorescent art and fancy food halls are just some of the Dutch capital’s quirky charms. Here’s how to find the wonders the city has to offer.

A Day of Discovery in the Dutch Capital

Words by Phil Lee Photography by Jordi Huisman and Jussi Puikkonen Illustration by Ana Galvañ

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Trails

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country house

Nouveau with a slice of Dutch

extravagant decor – think Art

and restaurant with the most

Lion Noir is a cocktail bar

British Airways offers direct and regular flights from London Gatwick to Turin.

Book now at ba.com

Prices start from £31 each way, based on a return fare.

British Airways offers direct and regular flights from London Gatwick to Turin. Prices start from £31 each way, based on a return fare.

Book now at ba.com

One of the clubs that have helped revamp Aurora is Q35, a large house and techno event space hosting international DJ sets. “It’s also worth checking out Bunker, a cultural and music centre, for its excellent live music concerts as well as its lively street market, Bunker Big Market,” says Nigro. Another multipurpose event space that attracts crowds is OGR, which is set in a former train-repair facility.

Plenty of festivals also pepper the annual music calendar in Turin. There’s the annual Kappa Futur Festival, which hosts international DJ sets every summer in a former factory in the industrial area of Parco Dora. “Club to Club is another great event, with experimental music, avant-garde, pop and live music gigs as well as DJ sets playing in a variety of locations,” says Nigro.

If you’ve saved your appetite, head to the Foodhallen on Bellamyplein, a 25-minute walk west of the flower market. Roam around the street-food stalls for a taste of dishes from around the world. Afterwards, wrap up the night with a genever (Dutch gin) or two at the Lion Noir, a cocktail bar and restaurant with the most extravagant decor – think Art Nouveau with a slice of Dutch country house. It’s also got a hidden garden that’s perfect for chilling in if the weather’s fine. Otherwise, nab a seat inside, in what is fondly known as Darwin’s drawing room, for more drinks as you raise a toast to a great day in the city.

If you’re looking for an impressive bite to eat, head to ISOLA bistro and bar, found tucked away in the vibrant San Salvario neighbourhood

Feast on the best Italian pizza at La Lampara in the hip San Salvario area

The vast choice of drinks at Céntral Cocktail Bar is helped by a menu that is never set in stone

If you’re looking for an impressive bite to eat, head to ISOLA bistro and bar, found tucked away in the vibrant San Salvario neighbourhood

Bunker hosts #raveon, a night of inspirational music which runs from September to June every year

Turin is the place to be for cocktails, music and a night on the tiles in creative spaces

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