If anyone ever remakes The Italian Job using its original setting, they would face one major problem. That traffic jam, where three Mini Coopers dart through the gridlocked streets of Turin? Filming it would involve a shedload of CGI, because in today’s city streets you hear birds singing, not horns blaring.
Turin was transformed for the 2006 Winter Olympics when the spacious squares and narrow streets were largely pedestrianised. Given that it’s also compact and dead flat, it’s one of the most walkable cities in Europe.
Not that every street corner is quite so tranquil: at the moment, there’s a real buzz in the main square, the Piazza Castello. The masses have descended to see the Turin Shroud, and not just the replica (an exhibit