Cenisia & Cit Turin
Cenisia and Cit Turin districts are next to each other, so much so that they are often regarded as one and the same district and are located in the central-western part of the city. With the neighbourhoods of Borgo San Paolo, Pozzo Strada and Borgata Lesna, they make up Turin's District 3. Cenisia is a post-industrial district bounded by Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, Corso Castelfidardo, Corso Peschiera and Corso Trapani. It is a pleasant and sober area, very close to the city centre and well connected to all other city areas. The whole district is undergoing major renovation and redevelopment, and there are several bicycle lanes, although there needs to be more greenery. Cit Turin is the only district that bears a Piedmontese name meaning 'Little Turin'. The area covered is a triangle between Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, then the border with Cenisia, Corso Francia and Corso Inghilterra. It has always been considered a residential area due to the presence of luxury buildings, prestigious shopping streets and more recent constructions such as the Palazzo di Giustizia and the Intesa San Paolo skyscraper. Right on Corso Inghilterra is the Porta Susa railway station in Turin, which means it is a transit area for travellers and, in addition to trains and the metro, it is well supplied with buses.
We have no availability in this neighborhood
What to see and do
Between Cenisia and Cit Turin, the main sights are the former Turin prison called Le Nuove, now decommissioned from its former function and becoming a museum; and the historic Officine Grandi Riparazioni ferroviarie (O.G.R) complex, also converted into a cultural area where events and meetings are organised. In addition, the area of the former Westinghouse, the Art Nouveau-style factory that used to produce brakes for the Italian State Railways and later became the logistics headquarters for the Winter Olympics hosted in Turin in 2006. Two buildings worth seeing are the Palazzo di Giustizia, active in civil and criminal law, and the Intesa Sanpaolo skyscraper, designed by Renzo Piano.
This houses a lounge bar and restaurant that you can enter with a reservation and enjoy a magnificent city view. Walking through the streets of these districts you can enjoy beautiful Art Nouveau buildings, such as Casa La Fleur, on the corner of Corso Francia and Principi d'Acaja, a historic Turin building designed in 1902 by engineer Pietro Fenoglio. Other truly fascinating buildings can be found scattered between Via Beaumont, where there is Casa Tasca, or the building on the corner of Via Talucchi and Via Schina. There are also examples of neo-Gothic in Via Piffetti, designed by the famous civil engineer and architect Giovanni Gribodo. In Corso Francia is the Palazzo della Vittoria, characterised by a splendid atrium decorated on the outside with large dragons. This very building has been the location for several films, for instance some scenes from Paolo Sorrentino's 'Il Divo' were filmed there. Although already part of the Crocetta district, the Politecnico di Torino is practically on the border with Cenisia, so much so that many university students choose to look for a shared flat here. Moreover, the proximity to the university makes the Cenisia and Cit Turin districts and other neighbouring areas very popular with young people.
Where to eat and drink
Between the neighbourhoods of Cenisia, Cit Turin and Borgo San Paolo there are a wide variety of restaurants, trattorias, and pizzerias, let's see some of them. Let's start with trattoria and osteria-style restaurants: Trattoria Mombercelli, where they recommend agnolotti del plin with roast sauce, Mamma Maria, as the name suggests a classic and homemade cuisine, Piola De Celso, a family-run trattoria with traditional Piedmontese dishes. Other options: Ristorante il Giardino Due, with meat and fish first and second courses, Cantinone San Paolo, an old-style restaurant with excellent first and second courses, Trattoria Casa Mia with home-style dishes. More in the Borgo San Paolo area: Trattoria La Taverna and Trattoria Lauro, or at Il Cucinino burgers, sandwiches and quality beers are served.
More Turin recipes in Cit Turin from Trattoria Doc Ël Crinêt, rustic ambience and a choice of sustainable ingredients, Trattoria Forchetta and Scarpetta, characteristic Piedmontese-style dishes. To satisfy your craving for pizza: I Soliti Ignoti, Pizzeria Frejus, Acqua e Farina and Te Dò 'Na Pizza, Macherè, La Mozzarina and Pizzeria La Sueva. Every neighbourhood restaurant serves international cuisine, from Chinese to Japanese, Mexican tacos, Indian, the Peruvian Made in Peru, the Cuban restaurant La Isla and various kebabs. If you feel like having an aperitif in or around Cit Turin, but without going right into the city centre, here are some options: Rendez-Vous, a modern venue with beers, cocktails and appetisers; BarBena, for simple aperitifs but also quick lunches; Vincent Cafè, in addition to the aperitif, an excellent café and sweet proposals; Bar Caffè Racconigi for drinks and snacks. In Cenisia, Casa Manitù, a club with soft lighting that prepares creative cocktails and a salty and sweet buffet, B-evolution, a cocktail bar and restaurant with a terrace, La Birroteca, an essential pub with excellent beers, burgers but also vegetarian dishes. In general, throughout the area there are also ice cream parlours, pastry shops and various cafés open from breakfast onwards.
Where to go shopping
If you want to shop while staying in the area, there are various possibilities according to what you are looking for. For example, in Via Dante Di Nanni, which connects Piazza Sabotino and Piazza Adriano, there are various clothes shops, such as Ishué, Misstake Torino and Naftalina Torino, as well as perfumeries, telephone shops, tobacco shops and services such as wash and dry, hardware stores, florists and so on. Other useful shops and services can be found in Via Frejus and Corso Racconigi, such as underwear, jeans and general clothing shops or bookshops. The area also has supermarkets that make it easy to stock up even if you simply walk or take public transport from home.
In the Pozzo Strada district there is a dense concentration of supermarkets, such as Lidl, Eurospin, Carrefour and the Montecucco shopping centre, which offers a shopping mall in addition to the hypermarket. And after Porta Palazzo, the second largest market area is the Mercato di Corso Racconigi, dedicated mainly to foodstuffs and open Tuesday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (we always recommend checking the timetable for any temporary variations).
Some questions?
Have more questions?
