Under the elegant arcades of Vittorio Veneto square is where Turin people usually start the evening; a row of bars and restaurants, a jungle of Vespas used to sit on when all the tables outside are full and the magic background of the Turin hill at sunset. People stroll from one bar to the other for drinks, most of them offered alongside generous buffets (so rich that the combo is usually called apericena, cause “cena” means dinner and quantities are more comparable to a dinner than just appetizers).

It’s usually useless to plan the night there, I usually go randomly and then bump into several friends. So, you have a wide choice but my personal choice goes to Café 21 Absinthe, a bar which started some years ago with a specific mission: to create awesome absinth cocktails. Add to this a wide spectrum of absinth-based shots and a decent selection of beers and you have all you need to start your night.

If this was not enough, if you are a fan of synth-pop, new wave and ’80s music in general as much as I am, this is also the perfect spot to spoil your ears with retro sound. Maybe you won’t see the green fairy but you will definitely discover a very good address for fine drinks.