Turin was the capital of a duchy, then a kingdom, and finally, from 1861 until 1865, of the new Italy, and the Savoy family left a ring of palaces and hunting lodges around it that UNESCO lists together. The Royal Palace in the centre, the Palazzo Madama, the vast Reggia di Venaria on the northern edge, the Stupinigi hunting lodge to the south-west and the Superga basilica on its hill are the best known.
Turin has a rational, rather austere beauty, a grid of arcaded streets laid out under Roman and then baroque plans, with the Alps filling the western sky when the air is clear. On a motorcycle the centre is easy and fast, but beware the limited traffic zones, which are enforced with cameras and which cost visitors a fine months later; check with your hotel or the municipal map. Trams and cobbles can be slick when wet. Park in the paid bays or garages near Piazza Castello, and walk from there.
For riding, the hill road to Superga is the treat. It winds up through trees from the east bank of the Po, with views that open suddenly over the city, and the basilica at the top was built after the Savoys won the siege of Turin in 1706. The football story is also here: in 1949 the plane carrying the great Torino team crashed into the hill, and a memorial stands beside the church. Beyond, the Langhe and Monferrato wine hills lie an hour to the south-east, full of good riding in autumn.
The city has nearly nine hundred thousand people, so fuel, food and repairs are plentiful. Coffee is serious in Turin, and the bicerin, a drink of espresso, chocolate and cream served in a small glass, is the local ritual. Gianduiotti chocolates, aperitivo with vermouth, and agnolotti are the obvious tastes. The Egyptian Museum is one of the best in the world outside Cairo. The Savoy palaces are best visited in spring or autumn, when the gardens are in colour and the crowds are thinner.