Home » DISCOVERING TURIN » City Around, the app to discover Turin on foot or by bicycle
16 Ottobre 2019
City Around, the app to discover Turin on foot or by bicycle
A free digital guide for those who want to visit the city through thematic itineraries, to be covered by walking or on two wheels
Francesca Vaglio Laurin (translation by Giulia Schimmenti)
With its historic centre made up of portici, streets and long avenues that run alongside rivers and parks, Turin is an ideal place to discover, forgetting the traffic and the haste of motor vehicles: to savour its history and beauty, you can easily go into the regular network of perpendicular roads at the slow pace of a walk or on a bicycle.
Those who enjoy this type of tourism can now also count on the help of a digital guide: City Around is a free application, available for Android and iOS, which collects the most beautiful city routes to be covered on foot or on bicycle. The app, launched in July at the Circolo dei Lettori, was developed by start-up Panorami Elettronici in collaboration with Turismo Torino e Provincia, the bike sharing company ToBike, Federagit (the Italian Federation of tourist guides, guides and interpreters) and Gti, Italian Tourist Guides.
In the opening screen there are a series of thematic routes, each accompanied by information on the time of travel and the level of difficulty. At the moment there are four available, but several others are being developed, from treasure hunts for children to tours dedicated to the history and curiosities of the Roman Quadrilateral. Another front of expansion will also cover languages, to make the app accessible to many foreign tourists: for now you can choose between Italian and English, but the goal of the developers is to create the version in French, German and Russian.
All itineraries are organized in a ring and allow you to choose the starting point from a series of marked stages. For example, with Splendida Torino in bici, your smartphone screen will guide you along a route of almost 6 km along the river Po, starting from the city center and arriving at Parco del Valentino, with stops at historical monuments and views of the river. For those who don’t like to go cycling, the same route is also available on foot.
Those who are more trained or willing to work a little more can try their hand at La più bella vista di Torino (The most beautiful view of Turin), which, with a 45-minute ride or an hour and a half walk, offers the best views of the city from above thanks to a circuit that climbs up the hills, passing through the numerous nineteenth-century villas surrounded by greenery until you reach Monte dei Cappuccini, where you can finally take a break and enjoy the view from the terrace of the “Duca degli Abruzzi” Mountain Museum.
But there is also room for a classic tour of the center with which to discover all the main points of historical, artistic and cultural interest of the city, possibly dedicating an entire day, as suggested by the app.
In addition to taking the routes offered by the app, users can also contribute actively by uploading and sharing their own photos taken along the itinerary.
Finally, by connecting to the City Around portal, you can also access information on how to get to Turin, book a place to sleep, consult the map of public transport and cycle paths or events scheduled in the city. All you have to do is choose an itinerary and get going!
In collaboration with Study in Torino
