LOCATION: Strada della Giardina 12, 10023 Chieri, Turin, Italy
RATES: From $149, based on double occupancy.
As overtourism continues to present challenges in some of Italy’s most perennially popular cities, more travelers are turning to lesser-trodden spots for a taste of la dolce vita—without the crowds.
In the outskirts of Turin in the Piedmont region, a newly opened guesthouse, La Giardina—“the garden” in Italian—makes a strong case to visit a city that sees far fewer tourists than nearby Milan or Florence. The four-room bed-and-breakfast is the vision of Bruno Billio, a Canadian Italian mixed-media artist who spent 18 years as the artist-in-residence at the Gladstone Hotel in his native Toronto.
The dream to open a property honoring his family’s Italian heritage—Billio’s mother is from Naples, and his father is from Venice—took root 13 years ago, when he and his sister were caring for their father while he was in hospice. “The night he passed, we said, ‘We’re going to open a place and reflect the energy of our mom and dad, with hospitality and bringing people together with great food and drink,’” he explains.
An artist’s guesthouse in the hills
La Vilma is La Giardina’s largest room, which has an art-filled living area in addition to the bedroom.
Photo by Lorenzo Morandi
Dating back to the 12th century, La Giardina is believed by locals to have once been a convent. Later, it served as a farmhouse for its owners, an 18th-century family of silversmiths. In its newest chapter, the two-story building is now an art-filled retreat reflecting both his heritage and Piedmont culture.
Each guest room is named after a family member, while in the living room, a black-and-white photo of Billio’s parents from their 1956 wedding anchors the mantel. His father’s barber chair sits at the head of the dining table.
Billio sourced almost every piece of 18th- and 19th-century furniture—including vintage wardrobes, dressers, and headboards—from a Venice warehouse. His own creations are woven throughout as well, including porcelain pieces dipped in rubber and objets d’art bound in colorful yarn, a nod to the region’s once-thriving textile industry; there’s also a small on-site art gallery displaying several of Billio’s pieces and those of other artists.
His signature tape designs also transform several walls into dramatic canvases—perhaps most notably, the swirling, looping lines in the entryway and staircase. “It represents all the energy of the guests, and future guests, and the whole flow of energy that people bring in and out,” says the artist, who lives on site and greets every guest.
Each of La Giardina’s four guest rooms blends antique furnishings with contemporary artwork, reflecting owner Bruno Billio’s layered approach to design and storytelling.
Photo by Lorenzo Morandi
La Giardina features modern amenities including heated terrazzo floors; robes and slippers; and a selection of pillows. Even the in-room minibar areas have an artistic touch, with elegantly lit artwork, gold trays and cutlery, and refrigerators jazzed up with Billio’s signature tape stripes. Elsewhere on property, a small heated above-ground pool will be added to the garden in 2027. The guesthouse is about 30 percent powered by solar panels, with plans to install more in the coming year.
One quirk guests should be aware of when booking: Two rooms (“La Dora” and “La Regina”) share a bathroom, so it’s suggested to book them together as “Le Nonne.” The guesthouse sleeps up to 10. Each bed can be separated into two singles, and the suite, La Vilma, also has a sofa bed in a separate living area, making it ideal for groups who want to book the entire property for family gatherings or friend and group getaways.
Included in the rate is daily continental breakfast of coffee, juice, fruit, yogurt, and freshly baked Italian pastries, with the option of in-room delivery. The property does not serve lunch or dinner, but guests can arrange catering through a local chef.
What to do during your stay
Tucked into the hills outside Turin, La Giardina is both a retreat into Piedmont’s quieter countryside and a deeply personal project shaped by artist and owner Bruno Billio.
Courtesy of La Giardina
For guests keen on exploring Turin, a rental car is advisable. However, train access to the nearby town of Chieri from Turin is expected to return in 2027 after a two-year hiatus.
Those who want to stay truly local can explore Chieri, a 15th-century town about a 10-minute drive (or 40-minute walk) away, with a pedestrian-only retail area, restaurants, art galleries, churches, and the Chieri Textile Museum. The hotel also can facilitate tours, bike rentals, or spa treatments in town, as well as excursions to wineries or to two equestrian centers nearby. Within a 10-minute walk of the guesthouse is the Via Alpina, aka the Blue Trail, a long-distance route that runs through Italy, France, and Switzerland. (Terrain varies widely depending on the region, but the stretch near the guesthouse is relatively flat.) Wherever you go, you’re not likely to hear English spoken much—if at all.
But the real appeal of La Giardina, according to Billio, is how it entices guests into embracing the Italian art of il dolce far-niente: the sweetness of doing nothing—sipping a glass of wine in the garden against the backdrop of the Italian Alps, or reading a book in the candle-lit living room as a log crackles in the fireplace.
“I wanted to create an environment that’s kind of magical,” he says. “And where things are possible, and the outside world is kind of left at the gate.”
