NH Collection Torino Piazza Carlina

Plenty of Italian hotels are located in historic convents, wineries, and farmhouses: here in Turin, the NH Collection Torino Piazza Carlina is located in a historic landmark, too — originally a Regio Albergo di Virtu, or Hotel of Virtue, an institution where impoverished youth were trained to work. The place has been entirely refurbished, of course, with amenities to match. All guest rooms and suites come with a range of luxuries that the Italian teenagers of yesteryear couldn’t have possibly imagined: private balconies, pillow menus, coffee machines, free wi-fi, sleek modern bathrooms with custom-made bath products.

But there’s an air of austerity here that reminds you of the building’s original function. Standard rooms are on the small side, and the decor is simple, with hardwood floors, white linens, and carved wood furniture. Upgrade to a roomy Junior Suite and you might forget you’re in a “Hotel of Virtue.” Splash out on the Suite Antonelliana, with its vaulting wood-beamed ceilings and modern geometric furniture, and you might forget what city you’re in altogether.

At least until you look out over the skyline of domes and steeples, or glance down at the bed after turndown service to spot the gianduiotti — little boat-shaped chocolates — on your pillow. Turin is the birthplace of Italian cinema and chocolate, and at the NH Collection Torino Piazza Carlina, they won’t let you forget it. The continental breakfast is served downstairs in the courtyard; later, there are aromatic aperitivi, or pre-dinner drinks, another proud torinese tradition, at the hotel’s cedar-topped bar. That leaves you the rest of the day and night to explore the piazze and passageways of Italy’s first capital — start with Piazza Carlina, one of the city’s oldest.