Piazza Castello for Christmas in Turin

Christmas tree at Piazza Castello, Torino, Italy, December, 2016

Close up of Christmas tree at Piazza Castello, Torino, Italy, December, 2016

Street musicians at Piazza Castello, Torino, Italy, December, 2016

Giant Advent calendar at Piazza Castello, Torino, Italy, December, 2016

Torino's Piazza Castello really goes all out for Christmas.  There's a massive cone of spectacularly colored lights that create a Christmas tree on the piazza.  There's also a giant Advent calendar and behind each door reveals a scene from the bible.  I'm not sure how they open each door because the calendar is so huge; maybe they use a ladder.

On the other end of the piazza is a Christmas market where they sell the craziest cookies and pastries.  One had a pile of pastries that were made to look exactly like hamburgers on buns.

My favorite part of the piazza is the people-watching.  We must have lingered on the piazza for four or five hours over the course of a couple of days, just watching the people of Tonino do their shopping, grab an espresso, or meet friends on the square.