Chosen as the site for the 2006 Winter Olympics, Turin is the capital of Italy's northwestern region of Piedmont, and was once the capital of Italy. Piedmont means, literally, "foot of the mountains", and the imperial Alps provide a dramatic backdrop for visitors and locals alike.

FIAT has crafted its luxury automobiles here since 1899, and the original hot chocolate, called bicerin, has been a local treat for centuries. The House of Savoy ruled the region intermittently for 500 years, scattering palaces and chapels around, all the while amassing impressive and varied collections of art, now viewable in city museums like the Palazzo Reale. Turin's gracious piazzas and neoclassical buildings are indicative of its on-and-off relationship with France, and its most famous icon, the mythic Shroud of Turin, has been kept at the city's cathedral since the 16th century.