Circolo dei lettori

The Circolo dei Lettori perfectly embodies a Piedmontese spirit that you will often hear about: Sabaudità, also declined in its variant of the adjective “Sabaudo or Sabauda”. This is not a simple alternative way of calling the inhabitants of the Piedmontese capital but it is a real attitude that characterizes Turin and the Turinese. Although difficult to define in many of its aspects, Sabaudity manifests itself mainly as a delicate and elegant discretion, behind which, however, we can hide the most lively and active minds.

In the historic centre inside an eighteenth-century building, the Circolo dei Lettori does not have signs that show its position to passers-by. But once you have crossed the wooden door of Palazzo Granieri della Roccia and climbed the elegant marble steps, you are catapulted into an era of aristocratic refinement. Large crystal chandeliers, stucco ceilings, gold that abounds on trims and frames, upholstered chairs and colourful wallpaper.

Nine “thematic” rooms, in addition to the bar and restaurant, for a total of one thousand square meters of elegance. This is the beating heart of Turin’s cultural life that comes alive every day thanks to the enormous variety of meetings and initiatives (more than 100) that the organization schedules on a monthly basis.

Those who have attended the club in recent years have been able to attend concerts and readings, participate in theme parties and meet many of the most influential personalities of the present. From people related to the world of information and politics like Roberto Saviano, Maurizio Molinari and Elsa Fornero or cartoonists such as Zerocalcare or Leo Ortolani. To sportsmen like Buffon, Tardelli up to the Pulitzer Prize Jennifer Egan and then again Niccolò Ammaniti, Jose Saramago, Don De Lillo, Jhonatan Safran Foer, Nathan Englander.

All this is not even a portion of what you can see and do at the Circolo dei Lettori. Because in addition to the big names, this magical place impresses with the incredible ability it has to continually amaze visitors with insights, shows and workshops of all kinds. Yet, it is also a place lived in the everyday life of the Turinese who gladly frequent Barney’s (from Barney’s version), the bar of the Club. Breakfast, lunch, snacks, aperitif and Sunday brunch are all prepared with the same elegance that distinguishes the place. Always in an informal and relaxed setting that would put anyone at ease.