Turin looks up at its hills, and on the slope above the Po stands a villa built for those who wanted the view. The Villa della Regina, the Queen's Villa, was begun in the early seventeenth century for Cardinal Maurizio of Savoy and later passed to the queens of the House of Savoy. It stands on the hillside above the city, with a baroque garden descending in terraces, a fountain and a nymphaeum, and a vineyard that still produces wine.
It was part of the circle of royal residences built around Turin by the Savoy dynasty, which UNESCO listed in 1997. The dukes of Savoy had moved their capital to Turin in the sixteenth century and set about making it a worthy capital, with grand palaces and country retreats linked by avenues. The villa had a rough time over the centuries: it was bombed in the Second World War and neglected for years, and its restoration has taken decades. Its interiors, with their Chinese-style rooms and painted ceilings, are slowly regaining their colour.
For a rider, the hill of Turin is one of the city's great pleasures. The roads that climb from the Po bank through villas and gardens are twisty and shaded, with fine views across the river toward the Alps. The road continues up toward the Basilica of Superga, a baroque church on a ridge that is the burial place of the Savoy family, with a panorama that takes in the whole plain and the snow-capped mountains beyond. On a clear winter day, with the air sharp and the Alps standing like a wall, it takes your breath for real.
The hills are also wine country. The vineyards of Turin produce Freisa and other local reds, and Piedmont is the home of Barolo, Barbaresco and the sparkling Asti. The vermouth that Turin invented in the eighteenth century is still a favourite aperitivo, and a glass on ice with a slice of orange is a fine reward.
Turin has nearly nine hundred thousand people, so fuel is everywhere, though the city centre has restricted traffic zones. Check parking before you go, and visit the villa when it is open, as hours vary.