Follow the broomsticks into Piazza San Carlo
It is the morning of 6 January, and Turin's centre belongs to the Befana. Along the porticoes of Piazza San Carlo and Via Roma, stalls appear under the arcades, and the air carries roasted chestnuts, sugar and the faint burnt-sugar smell of carbone — the black candy coal that Italian children find in their stockings when they have been less than good. Old women with shawls, patched clothes and broomsticks are everywhere, sold as dolls and masks and worn as costumes by children who have come to see the Epiphany fair. The city is closed for a national public holiday, schools and offices shut, many shops keeping Sunday hours, and the whole day has the loose, unhurried feel of a season's last party. The Italian saying goes L'Epifania tutte le feste porta via — Epiphany carries all the feasts away — and Turin spends the day doing exactly that.
Shop the Epiphany fair and the sweet counters
Turin's Epiphany fair fills the centre with stalls selling toys, sweets, stockings and small gifts in the weeks around 6 January, with the densest concentration in the arcaded squares and along the main shopping streets. Come to browse rather than to hunt for a specific stall: the line-up shifts from year to year, and the pleasure is in the wandering.
- Stock up on calza della Befana: from December, sweet shops and supermarkets across the city sell the hanging stockings and the candy coal that go inside them. Buy a stocking on the morning of 5 January and you can play the tradition properly.
- Time your shopping with the winter sales: the saldi invernali begin around Epiphany, with dates set region by region — Lombardy starts on the first working day before Epiphany, and Tuscany began on 3 January in 2026. Treat the exact 2027 date as something to check with the city or region closer to the time.
- Expect many Christmas markets to close on 6 January, so if you want the fair at its fullest, come in the days before rather than after.
Spend the holiday the way the city does
Epiphany is a fixed date — 6 January — and in 2027 it falls on a Wednesday. That shapes the day: a public holiday in the middle of the week, with public transport on a holiday timetable and fewer buses running. Plan around it.
- Book lunch. Restaurants generally open for the big family meal of the day, and tables go early. This is the meal to reserve ahead.
- See the Befana in costume. Costumed Befanas, street performers and family events cluster around the city-centre fair; the exact programme is announced by organisers each year, so check the city's events listings for 2027.
- Keep the evening open. The Epiphany season closes with public celebrations in the centre; confirm times and locations with the city's tourism office once the 2027 calendar is published.
- Dress for cold. January in Turin is cold, and standing about at outdoor events is colder still — layers, a hat, and something warm to drink between stalls.
Eat the season: candy coal, stockings and a long lunch
The food of Turin's Epiphany is the food of the calza. Stockings hang in sweet-shop windows from December, stuffed with sweets for the good and carbone — now usually black sugar candy rather than the real thing — for everyone else. Buy a bag of the coal from a pasticceria or supermarket and you have the season's most useful souvenir. For the rest of the day, follow the city's rhythm: a long lunch in a trattoria, booked in advance, and a slow walk through the arcades afterwards while the fair packs up around you.
Base yourself in the centre, and plan the days around the 6th
The Epiphany fair and the holiday's public life sit in Turin's historic centre, among the arcaded squares and shopping streets — stay within walking distance and you can do the whole day on foot. The days either side are worth planning deliberately: 6 and 7 January are among the busiest train days of the season across Italy, so book seats in advance, and crowds in Italy's art cities drop sharply from 7 January. If you are combining Turin with a wider Italian trip, note that some institutions keep holiday hours on 6 January — the Vatican Museums, for instance, are closed — while many city-centre shops stay open. The first Sunday of January is a free museum day at Italian state museums, which in 2027 falls on 3 January, a good reason to arrive a few days early.
Start with the calendar: 6 January 2027 is a Wednesday, which gives you a long weekend on either side. Book your train and your Epiphany lunch now, then watch for the city's published programme of fair stalls and public events as the date approaches. Turin in early January is cold, bright and full of broomsticks — and the feast that carries all the others away is one worth arranging your winter around.