Chocoholics visiting Torino can purchase a ChocoPass, offering 10 scrumptious tastes in 24 hours, or 15 in 48 hours.

WHAT'S FOR DINNER? REGIONAL CUISINE IN PIEMONTE

Piemonte produces some of Italy's most famous wines, from noble reds like Barolo and Barbaresco to semisweet sparkling wines like Asti Spumante and Moscato d'Asti. The aperitif ritual was born in Torino in 1786, when a local inventor created vermouth as a beverage more suitable for women than red wine.

Antipasti is a hallmark of Piemontese cuisine. A winter meal might begin with bagna cauda, literally "hot bath." Raw vegetables are dipped into a steaming fondue of anchovy and garlic. Other specialties include agnolotti (pasta stuffed with meat), bollito (boiled meats), and risotti (rice dishes), which are often covered with truffles, the region's greatest contribution to Italian cuisine. The white truffles of Alba are considered the best in the world and can be found in a variety of local dishes during autumn and winter.

Torino is famous for its café culture and elegant cafés. Via Roma and the surrounding piazzas are lined with gracious salons that have been serving coffee for decades, even centuries. Try the bicerin - Torino's signature drink - made of coffee, hot chocolate, and whipped cream.

Dessert lovers are in good hands in Piemonte. Hazelnuts, chocolate, and coffee are typical ingredients. Nutella, a mix of chocolate cream and hazelnuts, is produced in Alba. Torino began producing chocolate even before Switzerland — its most well known treat is the gianduiotto — a chocolate hazelnut candy shaped like an overturned boat and individually wrapped in gold or silver foil. Its creation was inspired during the reign of Napoleon, when importing raw cocoa was difficult and expensive, and local producers began incorporating bits of roasted hazelnuts to make the final product more affordable.

Alla vostra salute — To your health. Buon appetito!