La Vita di Torino

We are on the train, leaving Torino for France. I am melancholy. I love Torino. It’s one of those “a great place to visit, and I’d want to live there. Who can I leave my CV with?” As small consolation, at least I am dressed like an Italian – pink shirt, orange pants, purple socks, and white shoes. And I still have some gelato on my lips.

Torino is a great place to visit for any number of reasons. Foremost being the food (we’ll be posting some photos that will make you far more jealous than anything I say). Almostmost being it’s beauty – a baroque city where beautiful architecture is the norm, and the kind of density that supports active street life throughout without being claustrophobic (I just love a good five story buildings – I don’t know if this is the standard because of building materials back in the day, or what people were willing to walk pre-elevator, or if people just liked the aesthetic compatibility with the street, or if they made sense for a walkable city. Or all of the above. Whatever the reason, it works).

Alsomost is that the Torinese don’t know yet how great their city is – and nor does the world. Thus, tourism is limited, and non-Italian tourism is almost non-existant – especially compared to other beautiful European cities. That means the center of town, the historic beautiful piazza-filled, narrow-streeted, little-shopped, transit-served, outdoor-oriented are for the locals – with local-oriented stores and services and prices. I doubt it’s going to stay like this, given how great this city is. So come, be part of the problem, and visit Torino ASAP.

Torino is a great place to live, for all the reasons above. It’s in a very sweet spot in its history, if one were to use a quality of life/city of love lens – which, of course, we are. Founded 2,000 years ago by the Romans, the seat of the Savoy empire during the Renaissance (along with their prized Shroud), the first capital of Italy (150 years ago), the industrial capital of Italy for 100 years (the T in FIAT is for Torino) – this was not the first glory time in Savory’s history. But as recently as 20 years ago, the City was in crisis, staring over an abyss without a bottom in site. Like most Western industrial cities, the bottom had dropped out of the industrial market. Like our Midwestern cities, the population decreased – in this case, 30% in 20 years. At the same time, there was political chaos – four mayors in seven years, and finally an appointed administration from the national government. In 1993, when Italy finally allowed cities to directly elect their mayors, the leading candidate supported an intelligent shrinking of the city, tightening its belt and gracefully accepting being a lesser city. The opposing candidate said, essentially, bullocks – let’s innovate our way out of the mess. The people chose the hopeful candidate, and from then it was on.

During the rest of the 90s, the City developed big visions and big plans (it’s funny what crisis can do – although we know not every person/family/society rises to the occasion). Torino set its economic sites on becoming an international destination and city of culture and knowledge. Sounds like San Francisco, I know. In fact, sounds like most cities. Fortunately for Torino, they already had the historic and cultural foundation, as well as a strong educational and innovative platform from its engineering school and industry-serving firms. Torino also created a land use vision, transforming derelict industrial areas into new housing, parks, offices, and retail. The industrial rail in the middle of town was submerged, knitting together neighborhoods separated for 100 years. A new metro was constructed, and tram service extended. In underserved neighborhoods, economic and physical investments were made to improve the place, and the people in place.

Today many of these visions have come to fruition – and elsewhere, the cranes of construction are visible. Twenty-two new museums have opened in the last 10 years. The Olympics stamped its seal of approval on the city’s transformation. New industries were incubated. Immigrants were integrated.

The sum of all these efforts is a city, in 2011, a revitalized city. It’s clean and safe. Housing is affordable. There are families everywhere (I don’t know how the Italian urban school systems compare to the suburban, but I’d imagine there isn’t the same embarrassing disparity that we have in the US – likely because the wealthy never fled the cities en masse). You can get around no problem. There are jobs again.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that these conditions will remain. All cities are at the whim of global capital and the global economy. Shitty politicians get elected. Wars happen. Natural disasters happen. And great cities become a victim of their own success – where prices go up, and scarcity occurs, to the detriment of the many.

As such, Torino should not take this sweet spot for granted. Instead, she should enjoy every day. Because, after a week in Torino, I’d have to say – it’s a very sweet spot indeed.