Superga

 Buon Giorno,

I used to teach Art History, and I am a big time cycling fan.  Both of these tidbits are relevant as to why I very much wanted to see the Basilica Superga that watches over Torino from its majestic perch.  The church is a Late Baroque masterpiece that I taught in my class, and the steep hill on which it sits generally features whenever Torino hosts a bike race.  In fact when I got to the top, I found a big group of iron-legged cyclists who had done the ride up.

The Basilica is not itself a project. Getting there (and back) is.  One can take public transportation, but I decided to book with my friends at Hop On Hop Off, so I wouldn't have to worry about bus or tramway tickets.  I mistimed my arrival at the bus stop only to see my bus pulling away.  So I shopped around a bit and got the next bus.

No bus goes up the hill.  There is a road that cars and bikes can use, but we tourists take an old fashioned cog railway up.  I was met at the station and personally escorted on to the tram by a conductor.  We walked past a long line of poor saps waiting to get on who were probably wondering who I was and how I rated.  The ride up or down is some three kilometers of climbing and takes about twenty minutes.  Since there is just the one line, the tram only runs every hour.

Once at the top, I had to walk up a steep hill to get to the church.  How do cyclists do it?  That walk of half a kilometer nearly did me in.

But the church is glorious!  The name comes from an ancient word for hilltop, and the Piedmontese had a sanctuary there since the Early Middle Ages.  This sanctuary developed over time and was dedicated to Madonna Maria del Grazie.  She was credited with saving Torino during the War of the Spanish Succession when Louis XIV's forces threatened the city.

The exterior has a large portico and apart from the Basilica itself, the royal family built quarters for themselves and their favored clergy.  The church is topped with a large ornate dome.  One can go up into it, but I chose not to.

The Dukes of Savoy and the later royal family of Sardinia-Piedmont adopted the church for their own and many of them are buried in the crypt.

Apart from the church, the views from the top of the hill are spectacular. Yes, I did take pictures.  There's also a nature reserve with paths. Now in my younger days I would have eaten this up, but as it happens I just took a short woodland walk.

I had to wait around quite a bit for the tram back down the hill.  And I had to wait in line with the rest of the plebs.

The bus was waiting, and I was treated to a tour of the city on the far side (from me) of the Po.  We crossed back over the river and actually drove through Piazza Vittorio Veneto, but I had to walk back from the bus stop at Castello.

Ciao for now