The long colonnaded route created in the past for the promenades of the Savoy household in the town centre has now become an absolute paradise for shoppers: Via Roma and the parallel streets of Via Lagrange and Via Carlo Alberto are home to the shops of top Italian and international designers, where you can find the very highest fashion elegance or stay loyal to Turin tradition of historical brands, ateliers and tailoring.
The spectacular Galleria Subalpina, in art nouveau style, faces onto Piazza Castello whose colonnaded walks are an invitation to continue along Via Po, perusing the stalls of used books and records, antiques and period bookshops. On the other side, for a very pleasant stroll, there is one of Europe's longest pedestrian streets: Via Garibaldi. This is crossed by the streets of the Quadrilatero Romano with its craftspeople, historical and modern shops, in an alternative route to that of the top names. And for those who love a colourful, multiethnic atmosphere, every district of Turin has its own market: the top one is at Porta Palazzo, the town's true multiethnic heart in terms both of people and of the goods on display. Nearby there is also Balôn, the historical flea-market.
Not to be missed are the local markets of the Crocetta, Piazza Madama Cristina, Piazza Benefica – called this by the Torinese but whose official name is Piazza Giardini Martini – Corso Racconigi and Corso Palestro.