Core77

Torino is like the Detroit of Italy--well, with better food and a mayor who's not looking at jail time. And come to think of it you would probably have a hard time getting shot in Torino. Okay, the only thing Torino has in common with Detroit is a history of automobile design and production.

Torino was recently named the first World Capital of Design by ICSID (International Council of Societies of Industrial Design), and in living up to the name, they're holding their "Dream" exhibition:

"Dream" - one of the main events of Torino 2008 World Design Capital - is a stroll through almost 60 years of creativity that convinced the world of carmakers - and consumers - to accept new stylistic features, to demand greater performance and safety, to create new ways to adapt car interiors to the many demands of business and leisure.

Alessandro Barberis explains what convinced the Chamber of Commerce to support the event: "The numbers speak for themselves: in Piemonte, the automotive sector has roughly 950 businesses, 108,000 employees and the best results in Italy, with an increase in turnover in 2007 of over 9%. Our region is a grand and historical capital of automobiles, design and Italian style. Thus, what better place than Torino to show the dream of cars. And what better time than now: the year during which our city is the World Capital of Design."

Eat your heart out, Detroit.

via car domain blog