Turin is famous for its endless squares and can boast being the city in Italy with the highest ratio of green areas per citizen. If you combine that with the French-borrowed passion for bistrots and cafés (no matter what they tell you, the concept of aperitivo was born in Turin!) you will have a lot of quiet corners in Turin to sit under the trees for a coffee-break (you really want to act like a local? Well, then keep in mind that cappuccino after and during lunch are heresy in Italy).

With its benches, duly aligned chestnuts trees and hedges elegantly surrounded by neoclassic facades dating from mid-19th century, Maria Teresa square is one my favorite spots to chill during hot summer nights. And if you want to take a break from your promenades through Turin the bar La Maison has the right location to sit and breathe in some fresh air.

The bar-restaurant is not the cheapest one, but the view and the choreography are unique. Plus, the staff is very kind and their business lunch is fine and copious. I usually go for their carpaccio, while indulging in a glass of red wine from their wide and excellent selection of bottles.

The only problem for me is to stand up and leave the table: with the aroma of grass, the tweets of bird and screams of children playing in the park it is almost impossible!