Situated in northern Italy, Turin is a major cultural and business hub and the capital of the Piedmont region. Resting on the right bank of the Po River, the city is well-known as the home of the Turin Shroud, Juventus football club and the headquarters of Fiat.

There are plenty of flight offers around so prospective visitors should find flights online and book that last minute holiday before it's too late.

Traditions and culture in Turin

Many people are unaware of this fact, but Turin is actually the birthplace of solid chocolate. Forget Belgium or Switzerland, it was in this northern Italian city that Mr Doret invented the machine that would make drinking chocolate solid. Thus it should come as little surprise that chocolate is very important to Turin's residents.

Chocolate companies in the city produce a typical chocolate called Gianduiotto, which is named after Gianduja, a local Commedia dell'arte mask. Many other types of chocolate are also produced.

In addition, every year the town organises CioccolaTO, a two-week chocolate festival which is run with the major Piedmontese chocolate producers, such as Venchi and other notable international companies such as Lindt & Sprungli.

Turin is sometimes known as the food capital of Italy and is renowned for its mouth-watering cuisine, which includes over 160 types of cheese and such delicacies as grissini bread and tasty locally-reared meats.

Desserts are similarly sumptuous, with delicious white truffles, pralines and gianduiotti chocolates being the typical order of the day.

Recommended in Turin

Turin's annual Festival of Chocolate, which takes place between February 22nd and March 2nd, is an absolute must. The event includes tastings and cookery demonstrations.

There is even a Chocolate Factory in Piazza Vittorio Veneto, which is right in the heart of the city, where visitors can see the whole process of chocolate production.

Visitors who are interested in the Turin Shroud should make sure they visit the Museo Della Sindone, which includes a wealth of paraphernalia related to the ancient relic including the first ever camera used to photograph the cloth in 1898 and test tubes used to store traces of human blood removed from the shroud in 1978.

Weather in Turin

Turin actually has a continental climate - cold and sometimes rainy winters and cool summers in the hills. However, it can get quite hot in the plains. Temperatures are typically mild between the months of May and September.

Destination checklist for Turin

Turin has a population of around 921,485.

The currency in use is the euro.

Italian is the official language spoken, so a holiday guide that includes local phrases would be a good idea.

The city is just one hour ahead of GMT and uses the international dialling code +39.

Buses, trams and cables cars make up the city's public transport network and cars and bicycles are available for hire.