The first thing I always think of when I enter a royal palace is how did they keep all of these rooms clean. They must not have had kids…or maybe they had a separate palace for the kids? (good idea). Royal palaces are always impressive. That’s the point. Turin has a beautiful one made even more interesting because it also has a café.

Caffe Reale is located right in the palace, in a series of rooms that used to house the royal fruitery before being transformed into a library and then a storeroom. Today the shelves are lined with porcelain from the Royal Family’s collections instead of books. Most of those inside the café were enjoying a Merenda Reale, translated as a royal snack. This is a tradition born in the courts in the 17th century where a series of different cookies are offered so you can dunk them into your hot chocolate (made with water, not milk). Remember, hot chocolate was the drink of choice of royalty so one would never have thought of having afternoon snack without a hot chocolate. Good on them.

October 30th is Merenda Reale Day but really you can get these everyday and in many different cafes. It seemed fitting to order this at the Royal Café (when in Turin…) but I got there too late and they were all out for the day. I couldn’t leave though without at least trying the hot chocolate part of the snack.

I don’t have much to say about the hot chocolate really. It was dark, no sweetness at all. I will say that they got the balance right between pudding and liquid, so it was thick but still drinkable. It came with fresh panna (whip cream) which I spooned generously into my chocolate. What made this was that while the inside of the café was jam packed with tourists (remember this is pre COVID) because of the grey weather, the covered terrace was pretty much empty, so I sat outside and watched the rain fall. 

If you decide to try a Merenda Reale, apparently Pepino 1884, Caffe Elena and Caffeteria Orangerie also have very good ones. Apart from the Royal Palace there are several other museums worth visiting in Turin. Galleria Sabauda is one of the most important Italian art galleries. Turin also has an Egyptian Museum that is considered the most important in the world after that of Cairo. 

Verdict: It as nice sitting on the terrace on a rainy day. But unless you are into historic porcelain, I think I’d try the Merenda Reale at Pepino’s next time.  For more on Turin be sure to check out sips.ultimatehotchocolate.com