There's a city in the northern Italian region of Piemonte that unites ancient and contemporary art, innovation and the quality of life, industry and flavors. A city that is one hour from the Alps and from the Mediterranean Sea. This city is Torino and along with its territory, it hosted the XX Olympic Winter Games and the IX Paralympic Winter Games in 2006.

Torino is one of the key players in the history of Italy: a Roman colony 2,000 years ago, the epicenter of the Savoy dynasty, the capital of Italy in 1861 and the heart of Italian industry thanks to FIAT automobiles.

Starting in the 1990s, the capital of Piemonte began redesigning its future and initiated a vast process of transformation; it has diversified its vocation as an industrial metropolis by investing in research, culture, innovation and savoir vivre. The result is a "City of Art", combining nightlife and high finance, Baroque architecture and futuristic buildings constructed for the Olympics--Renzo Piano, Norman Foster, Jean Nouvel and Arata Isozaki are just a few of the architects who have reinvented the city's skyline. And all around the center of town, with its many piazzas and porticos featuring historical cafés and high fashion labels, there is the province, with snow-covered peaks, the Gran Paradiso National Park (www.pngp.it), the "crown" of Royal Residences, vineyards and the majestic Fortress of Fenestrelle (www.fortedifenestrelle.com), whose 4,000 steps make it one of a kind.

The capital of flavors
Torino's flavors are unique; gastronomy plays a fundamental role in the city's millenary history as it creatively combines Mediterranean and European cuisines. The rite of the aperitif is truly Torino's: back in 1786, this is where the infusion of wine and spices called vermouth was born and today it is celebrated throughout the world thanks to brands like Martini. And the tradition of chocolate is also quintessentially Torinese: in 1560, this is where the cocoa-based drink was first created on the Old Continent; it later took on the form of bars of chocolate and today it is the star of many artisan laboratories and of products of widespread consumption like Nutella, Piemonte's famous Gianduja créme. And then there's coffee: the rite that has been elevated to an art form in Italy not only has the headquarters of its major national producer--Lavazza--in Torino, but there are also marvelous historical cafés here. These specialties are the ingredients of a wide-ranging gastronomic feast: from the typical meat-filled agnolotti to cheeses, grissini� crunchy, flavorful, handmade breadsticks�and grand Piemontese wines like Barolo, Barbaresco, Erbaluce and Passito. These are the delicacies that are protected and safeguarded by the project of the Province of Torino known as Il Paniere dei Prodotti Tipici (www.provincia.torino.it/agrimont/progetti/paniere) and are also the stars of Eataly (www.eatalytorino.it), the world's largest emporium of quality enogastronomic products, whose main store in Torino will be joined by one in New York in April 2008. And this tradition has made the city the natural headquarters of the Salone del Gusto, the largest event in this sector, which is organized every other year by the Slow Food Association, and of Terra Madre, the meeting of the world's food communities, that was last held in 2006.

From Leonardo da Vinci to contemporary art
Torino offers food for the body and for the mind. Like every major "City of Art", Piemonte's capital can vaunt an extraordinary cultural tradition.

For centuries, the territory was the capital of the Savoy dynasty, it was also the first capital of Italy and it has priceless collections of ancient art. Like the Egyptian Museum (www.museoegizio.it), the richest in the world after Cairo's; the extraordinary and centrally-located Palazzo Madama (www.palazzomadamatorino.it), home of the Museum of Ancient Art; the Royal Library (which houses masterpieces like the Autoritratto a Sanguigna by Leonardo da Vinci); the newly-renovated palace at Venaria Reale (www.reggiavenariareale.it)--" the Italian Versailles"; and the museum dedicated to the Holy Shroud, the linen cloth that was wrapped around the body of Christ (and which is displayed on exceptional occasions). But what truly characterizes Torino and environs is the area's ability to combine tradition and innovation. Torino is one of the European capitals of contemporary art, home of the Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art (www.gamtorino.it), the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, the Fondazione Merz, the Museum of Contemporary Art at the Castello di Rivoli (www.castellodirivoli.org) and open-air events like Luci d'Artista. Torino has the most fascinating Cinema Museum (www.museonazionaledelcinema.org) around, located in the Mole Antonelliana, the building that is the symbol of the city. And it also has countless other collections, which will be joined by a new, futuristic Automobile Museum in 2008. These exhibits are surrounded by a rich calendar of events dedicated to classical music and rock--like the MITO Settembre Musica festival, whose lineup unites Torino and Milan, or the Traffic Torino Free Festival, Italy's only major music festival that's free. Then there's cinema, in particular the Torino Film Festival, directed by Palme d'Or-winner Nanni Moretti; art, like the Artissima trade fair directed by Andrea Belli; or prose, starting with the theatrical program of the Teatro Stabile.

Football and snow: a sporty city
Mens sana in corpore sano, as the Romans would say; and Torino confirms this motto, combining its rich cultural offering with pre-eminence in the tradition of sport. Torino is where the country's major competitive sports began: tennis, skiing, free-climbing, mountaineering, canoeing and the Universiade--"invented" here and held here once again in 2007.

Two of the world's major football clubs were established here, Juventus in1897 and Torino in 1906. Torino and its mountains were awarded the XX Olympic Winter Games and the IX Paralympic Winter Games, which put the area on TV screens throughout the world and left an extraordinary legacy of sport installations. Today, the venues, which are now managed by TOP (Torino Olympic Park), are a theme park for reliving the Olympic emotions, as spectators and as protagonists. The venues are also available for sporting events, performances, accommodations, tourism and business meetings.

Destination: convention
The venues run by TOP, culture and leisure, industrial tradition, efficient services, a network of international and local connections and the expanded hotel system make Torino and its territory an ideal destination, not just for tourists but also for the conference sector.

Thanks to the creation of the Torino Convention Bureau (www.torinoconvention.it) in 2000, today the territory is able to provide companies with all-around consultation for launching products, meetings, events and everything connected with the corporate world.

Coming soon
This is the territory that is ready to welcome an international public for the major events that will be held here in upcoming years: in 2008, Torino will be the first World Design Capital ever; in July of that same year, the city will host the World Conference of Architects and the European Championship of Rhythmic Gymnastics, while Ivrea will host the Wildwater World Cup Races. In 2009, the World Air Games and the European Indoor Athletics Championship will be held here, while in 2010, Torino will be the European Capital of Science. In 2011, the city--as the country's first capital--will be the star of the events celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Unity of Italy. These are just a few examples of a passionate city that, along with its territory, is increasingly concentrating its efforts on an international future.