Cinema Maffei
Via Principe Tommaso 5
011 655 334
This is a really old 1970s relic of a cinema but showing modern (straight) films with one huge screen accessed from three different levels - street level as you walk in and then a middle level, which both open into one gigantic seating area, and a basement entrance which is more secluded from the main seating area. There is a confusing corridor system leading down to the middle level and basement seating areas, as I think there are two separate staircases, one of which is an emergency exit, and it is easy to miss the level you want to enter to sit in the theater. This cinema can seat hundreds, but there were never more than 15 people there when I was there, so it massively over-dimensioned, and thus lacking in intimacy or soul.
Neighbourhood: city centre
It is not far from the Porta Nuova railway station. Just walk eastwards from the railway station along Corso Emanuele II until you reach Via Principe Tommaso. Note that cinema Maffei is directly opposite another 1970s-style cinema called the Metropol at number 6 which I didn't visit (perhaps next time I'm in Turin).
- Directions:It is not far from the Porta Nuova railway station. Just walk eastwards from the railway station along Corso Emanuele II until you reach Via Principe Tommaso. Note that cinema Maffei is directly opposite another 1970s-style cinema called the Metropol at number 6 which I didn't visit (perhaps next time I'm in Turin).
- Hours:I went in the evening and it was quiet. After about 10pm almost everyone had left. The cinema shuts at midnight.
- Cruising Info/ Tips:The main seating area accessed from street level and the middle level is huge so offers other customers a bird's eye view of whatever it is you get up to! For it is best to go to the basement seating area which is separate from the upper level and is darker so offers a more discrete environment. Guys go to the basement, cross over to the other side of the hall and wait behind the pillar there. The basement area is so huge that you can easily find a quiet area to or without anyone noticing you.
- Nudity / Policy:Be discrete.
- Wheelchair Accessible:No / Definitely no handicap access. The main staircase is steep and winding and there is no lift. A handicapped customer could only access the very top part of the cinema, at street level, without having access to the seats.
- Warnings:Once again, the stale smell of cigarette smoke as guys don't respect Italy's ban on smoking in public places which includes cinemas as well as bars, restaurants and hotels. Just tell the attendant and he'll sort them out. I told one guy for smoking close to me, and he came back again to do the same thing, so I got the attendant onto him and he was thrown out. My other gripe is that this place is so large relative to the small number of customers that it lacks any soul. It is not convivial for meeting guys. You feel lonely sitting on your own in a cinema surrounded by dozens of empty seats, row after row.
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