Galleria Subalpina and Historic Caffe Baratti & Milano

Why is it significant?

Step beneath the ornate entrance portal to enter the luminous, sheltered world of the Galleria Subalpina, Turin's most sumptuous and atmospheric covered shopping arcade.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Step beneath the ornate entrance portal to enter the luminous, sheltered world of the Galleria Subalpina, Turin's most sumptuous and atmospheric covered shopping arcade. Inaugurated on the thirtieth of December 1873 to designs by architect Pietro Carrera, this fifty-metre-long and fifteen-metre-high pedestrian gallery was modeled after the grand covered passages of Paris and London, uniting classical Renaissance stone facades with the technological lightness of industrial glass and cast-iron vaulting. The soaring glass barrel vault bathes the upper iron-railed gallery in soft natural light, supported by carved stone caryatid statues above a polished polychrome marble mosaic floor. Flanking the passageway are antiquarian bookshops, vintage print dealers, and the legendary Caffe Confetteria Baratti & Milano, a temple of Piedmontese confectionery established in this arcade in 1875. The intoxicating aroma of roasted hazelnuts and melted dark chocolate welcomes visitors into a timeless Belle Epoque retreat. The polished marble floor reflects the glow of suspended bronze lanterns, while antique wooden showcases display artisanal candies and vintage illustrated postcards from nineteenth-century Piedmont.

Admire the gilded art nouveau salon of Baratti & Milano: beveled mirrors, hand-carved mahogany counters, and bronze reliefs reflect the cafe's status as an official purveyor to the Royal House of Savoy, celebrated for perfecting the three-layered cremino chocolate and royal hazelnut gianduja.

Throughout the mid-twentieth century, the gallery served as an intellectual meeting place for celebrated writers and filmmakers: authors like Cesare Pavese, Mario Soldati, and Italo Calvino regularly gathered here before visiting the nearby Einaudi publishing offices.

Notice the hushed acoustic quality of the arcade: the covered passage was intentionally built to allow nineteenth-century bourgeois patrons to take leisurely strolls sheltered from rainy weather and muddy streets.

Exit through the eastern doorway of the arcade to step into the spacious open plaza of Piazza Carlo Alberto.