Piazza Castello, Turin, Italy

Torino’s Piazza Castello really goes all out for Christmas.  There’s a massive cone of spectacularly colored lights that create a Christmas tree on the piazza.  There’s also a giant Advent calendar and behind each door reveals a scene from the bible.  I’m not sure how they open each door because the calendar is so huge; maybe they use a ladder.

On the other end of the piazza is a Christmas market where they sell the craziest cookies and pastries.  One had a pile of pastries that were made to look exactly like hamburgers on buns.

My favorite part of the piazza is the people-watching.  We must have lingered on the piazza for four or five hours over the course of a couple of days, just watching the people of Tonino do their shopping, grab an espresso, or meet friends on the square.

About the Author

Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides to cities around the world on Destination Eat Drink, including in-depth eating and drinking guides to Lisbon, Porto, Sintra, Monsaraz, and Evora in Portugal. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms and is distributed by the Radio Misfits Podcast Network.