Starts today the long path trough all the most interesting and particular itineraries in Turin. Our aim with this diary is to bring you all over the city, starting to understand how special and unique it is. This will be also our own walk through the secrets and the unknown histories and the many Turin's faces in order to be able, at the end of this path, to read its several souls. We decided to avoid telling about the historical, even if very beautiful, center of Turin, because it is already well known and widely narrated in many city guides. We want to go to explore all the other quarters that make this city so beautiful and interesting...and we'll use as our reference source the book "L'altra Torino" Metro guide espress edition.
About San Salvario quarter many things have been told.
They spoke about it as the "Turinese Bronx" the as the "Integration pattern" to follow and than "gentrification case" to study. The big surprise is that more or less all these things are true and you can find this and much more walking on the streets...
The primary soul of this area is strictly connected with the shop intended also as negotiation ability, creativity and research. San Salvario soul is curious and soucy...
This area was built by Napoleon during the second half of the XIX Century and it's easy to recognize his french style in buildings and streets. So we can say that this quarter was born french, but it definitely grew up patriotic: here took place several fighting in 1821 in order to obtain a Constitution and the independence from foreign domination and in this moment where took the base for the Italian unification, and here Italy was finally assembled in Italy Kingdom.
The name San Salvario is the slang way to call the San Salvatore church, at the crossing of Corso Marconi and Via Nizza and finally it become the official name of this area.
Since the XIX Century this was a very commercial zone, and this is the reason of the deep roots and the ancient tradition of Madama Cristina's square open air market and of many handicrafts shops in the relatives small ways.
San Salvario function was at the beginning the southern city door. Also today, even if it's not anymore on the city boundary, it keeps it's door function because this is the very first area, nearby to Porta Nuova train station, where the people lands at arriving in Turin. Today's new citizens, exactly as before the southern Italian people and the after them, the northern African people, arrive here and discover the same place. This burg has always been able to absorb everything and to give everybody his own house.
This is the origin of his mixed and bastard soul, fascinating and strong. Not everybody is able to love it, but we're here and we wouldn't change this zone with others for any reason! Come and visit it to believe!
