Torino Shopping

Iconic brand name born and raised in Torino, Robe di Kappa has placed its logo onto the jerseys of a great number of domestic and foreign sports teams. Production had long been moved abroad but part of the former city manufacturing plant was dedicated to the "Spaccio" (it means "outlet"), where RdK and other brands collections can be found at interesting prices. This includes "Superga", the omnipresent canvas shoes around the feet of Italians during the 70s and the 80s.
Net really "Made in Torino" anymore but surely the brand is, as well as the company headquarters sitting in the same downtown building.
A visit can also be a pleasant occasion to experience the "Fratelli la Cozza" restaurant, just next door and part of the same building complex. Excellent food including one among the best pizza in town in a uniquely fancy and relaxed atmosphere.

What to buy: Casual and sports clothing, footwear.

What to pay: Outlet price tags.

There are several street markets in town, largest and most famous being historical Porta Palazzo (see my other "Balon" tip).
A large one takes place in Corso Svizzera and Corso Racconigi, namely the second largest in town. Those strolling in Via Garibaldi will cross Corso Valdocco and its market. Info here:
http://www.regione.piemonte.it/cgi-bin/commercio/mercati/dynIndex.pl

I'd mention and suggest the Crocetta market, which is the trendy spot in town for apparel, clothing, shoes and accessories - brand names and the like.
Info here (Italian language):
http://www.mercatocrocettatorino.it/dove_siamo.htm

Street markets are crowded places and it's always advisable to keep valuables properly tucked away.

One of the largest selection of sporting goods and apparel in town is Decathlon, a French franchise specialized in most sports as a one-stop store. They offer a variety of brands although most items are branded under the Decathlon group. Two stores in town, one located in Grugliasco and the other in Moncalieri.

For a wider selection of mountaineering equipment - except for ski - my favorite store is Ronco Alpinismo in Corso Montegrappa 31, Torino.

Decathlon website
Ronco Alpinismo website

Porta Palazzo is the largest open-street market in Europe. Located at the intersection of Corso Regina Margherita and Via Milano, its name originates from the adjacent Porta Palatina. Some see it as a place to be avoided for crowded areas can be fertile ground to certain illegal activities and black market, let alone pickpocketing. Every Turinese knows that here is where it was possible to find anything - really, anything - if you'd ask the right person. For example, I know of a man who worked in the Soviet Union and used to buy smuggled rubles here.
Present-day shopping centers and large grocery stores have changed the habits of the citizens but many still like to shop for food in this market and walk around with bags. Chances of finding a parking place nearby are next to zero.
North of the square unfold Via Goffredo Mameli and Via Borgo Dora, the "Balon" area. Here is where every Saturday and every second Sunday of the month - except for August - a flea-market is held. I admit it has gradually lost the flavor and ambience of the past to more drab values, today it's rather unlikely to find real (vs. fake) antique stuff or the bargain versus the scam. It might not be advisable to buy "valuable" pieces but still it could be interesting to take a sightseeing tour.
"Balon" (pronounced "bah-loong") is the Piedmontese for "ball' and the name derives from an ancient court ball game which survived and is still popular in a small area of southern Piedmont.

The shop is essentially an area off from Baratti & Milano's main cafe area where the till is. As with the cafe, the elegant old features of the building have been retained. The stock is essentially chocolate in various forms. You can buy sachets of the famous hot chocolate, which, having now tried it, I can recommend as being far superior to the usual powdered chocolate on sale. In fact, it does seem to be the same as what is served in the cafe.

A good small gift is an individual bar of chocolate - there are the usual milk, dark and white varieties as well as a gianduja (praline-based) bar. The latter is gorgeous! Then there are 'degustazione'-type sets with different types of chocolate to try.

The items are stylishly packaged and can be gift-wrapped, making them perfect gifts to take home. I had enjoyed my trip to the cafe so much that I wanted to take a bit of it back with me and I have to say that the hot chocolate transported me to Turin instantly!

What to pay: Hot chocolate and individual bars start at EUR 2.50.

Il Grifone is a series of small shops selling heavily discounted clothes and shoes from a range of Italian designers and well-known brands. Located in an arcade in Turin, there is a shop each for women's clothing, men's and shoes/leatherware. It's this last that I've found the best buys.

The shop's a bit of a treasure trove and you're never sure what you'll find: sometimes there will be any number of gorgeous handbags, another time the bags will be awful but there'll be fantastic deals on jeans. I've been and left empty-handed, and I've also been and spent a small fortune. But if you plan on any clothes shopping, it's worth a visit. Speaking as someone who usually hates sales and outlets, this is high praise!

I'm not so keen on the clothes shops (though the range of jeans is extensive), but the shoe shop is very good. You can get exclusive Italian shoe brands like Pantofola d'Oro for a fraction of the price in other shops. There is also a shop for children's clothing.

The discounts themselves can be amazing: Balenciaga, etc, bags halved in price and then halved again.

I spent many a happy hour browsing the books in this shop when I lived in Italy. Although it's not very big, Libreria Luxemburg is very well stocked. Upstairs live the foreign language books, English being the main language represented, although they also seem to specialise in Russian books. Spanish, French and German too. You can tell a lot of thought has gone into stocking too: there is everything from poetry and plays to Harry Potter to books about Turin in English and novels.

Downstairs is for Italian-language books. Again, there is an interesting choice (foreign poetry in bilingual editions) as well as the staples. Luxemburg has a special section of Jewish-interest books, which marks it out for anyone with an interest in the subject. You can tell this is a shop run by and for bibliophiles which makes it rather special. According to the website, it's also Turin's oldest bookshop, dating back to the 19th century.

What to pay: Books in Italy are dearer than in the UK and US but comparable to other European countries.

Buy guidebooks in English. Translations are usually more out-of-date and expensive. Luxemburg sells both English and Italian editions of Rough Guide, etc.

Typical shopping district is downtown. The streets of Via Roma, Piazza Castello and Via Po can be walked up and down on both sides under arches, hence even in bad weather. Via Lagrange and some streets east of Via Roma are good spots too if high-end prices are sought after.
Lower prices and abundance of merchandise are in pedestrian Via Garibaldi, which heads north-east from Piazza Castello. Exceeding one kilometer in length (.66 mi) it's the longest pedestrian stretch in Europe.