A Lovely Shopping Day in Torino

 Buon Giorno,

I'm leaving early tomorrow morning.  My taxi to the airport is booked, and my airline just sent me an email wanting me to check in on line.

But first let me enjoy the last licks of then wonderful hazelnut gelato I got.  I don't think any ice cream compares to real Italian gelato.

I had a bright warm day as I headed out, and the air was fresh and clean after yesterday's rain.  I walked past the Castello to the fancy arcades. Whoa. The arcades and buildings are truly beautiful.  I strolled about just enjoying them for a while, but then I backtracked to an elegant chocolate shop I spotted.  Entering, I found a fine selection of great looking stuff, some of which I was forced to buy.  I tell shop assistants that I'm a tourist and I don't speak Italian.  Most of the time it does no good because they assume I'm going to understand the Italian anyway.  But I do get taken care of.

I walked back and headed down Via Roma and entered the department store Rinascente, which is more or less Italy's answer to Galleries LaFayette.  I was reliably informed that I could find some fancy artisan pasta there.  The cookware and food section is in the basement. Folks, this is high end, but the shop assistant spoke good English, helped me find what I wanted, and even signed me up for a Rinascente loyalty card and discount.  I figured why not?  I plan to visit Italy a lot as long as I can travel.  It's on my phone now.  I also bought a fancy bottle of wine and learned where to come if I ever lost my mind and wanted to spend hundreds of dollars on booze.

Then I had a leisurely walk back appreciating the beautiful city I had the privilege of visiting.  Some tidbits.  I have noticed this in every Italian city--north of Naples--that I have visited.  The Italians wrap themselves up.  I will be walking around in my shirt sleeves (and as a Southern Californian I am hardly impervious to cold) and the people of my host country will be wearing padded jackets securely zipped up.  Crossing the street is interesting.  Cars may or may not stop at crosswalks.  For crossing with lights pedestrians follow what I call Paris Rules.  If there's traffic one waits for the lights to change.  No traffic? Cross against the light with impunity.

Dinner will be some Piedmontese treats of Agnolotti and red wine Dolcetto d' Alba DOC.  I also learned that the "Italian Green Sauce" I like to make and put on fish is a Piedmontese specialty.  It's easy to make in a food processor:  A bunch of parsley, a couple of anchovy fillets, garlic, capers, extra V olive oil and a hard boiled egg.  You can find more exact recipes on line.  I don't care for anchovies straight, but I like them as an ingredient.

It's been a good trip.  I saw what I wanted to see and ate what I wanted to eat.  Multi grazie to those who have followed along with me.

Ciao

Demonstration Day in Torino

 Buon Giorno,

Well, that was interesting.  It's Monday.  And May 1. International Workers Day. The museums are closed and I had no plans beyond wandering around and seeing if there were fun things to buy.  It began to rain pretty heavily, but sidewalks of the historic center are covered, and I have a good umbrella, so no big deal.

When I emerged from my building I found Piazza Vittorio Veneto packed.  Despite the rain a big crowd had gathered.  There was a loud speaker.  I saw banners and flags.  Clearly it was some kind of May 1--I'll call it a celebration. I figured I'd soon leave it behind.  

Nope.  The crowd was on the move and Via Po was packed. I got stuck behind a brigade of police.  They had nightsticks, but they didn't seem too concerned.  The crowd was lively and there was lots and lots of noise, but no one seemed to be doing anything but expressing themselves peaceably. 

There appeared to be several groups.  I don't think they were competing, but I couldn't tell from the banners and signs what the groups stood for.  I mean I saw the word "Democrazia" pretty frequently, but recent developments show us that that word can mean different things to different people.

Clearly I wasn't going to be able to get anywhere, so I gave up, came home, and made myself some green tea.  I'll have another chance tomorrow.  In the meantime I can keep myself amused with shows from my streaming services.

Today I'm feasting on Piedmontese cheese and lovely red Piedmontese wine.  The cheese has a wonderfully creamy texture I appreciate. It's not strong like the French cheeses I enjoy, but the flavor is rich, but subtle.

Ciao for now

Pinacoteca Albertina, the Market and an Easy Day Out

 Buon Giorno,

Having had two big days in a row, I need to have a smaller, easier one.  It's a warm but rainy Sunday in Torino, and I had a target in mind that was an easy walk away and would not turn into a project.

But first I had to visit the market set out on Piazza Vittorio Veneto.  The vendors were different from last Sunday.  Several serious cheese and sausage stands boasted long lines.  One could also find pasta and bread plus beautiful vegetables.  Too bad I'm leaving in a few days, or I would have loaded up.

I had a bit of a hard time finding the Academia Albertina where the Pinacoteca is located. I was on the right street, but no sign of anything that looked like an art gallery.  I wandered around a bit puzzled.  Then I spotted a building undergoing major restoration.  It was completely covered.  "I bet that's it," I said to myself, and soon found the entrance, but I had to ring the bell to get in the door.

The collection is not huge, but I found it worth seeing.  I enjoyed the Renaissance and Baroque paintings and sculptures.  Some high quality cartoons (i.e., big drawings not Bugs Bunny) were exhibited.  I especially enjoyed the landscapes and some really intriguing painted portraits and portrait busts.  It was nice because I was there pretty early and the place was quiet and uncrowded.  I enjoyed a pleasant time.

I came home via the market.  I bought something.  OK?  I HAD to buy something.  It would have been rude not to. But what?  Finally I settled on a small jar of Chestnut honey.  I had some on a toast with a cup of green tea.  Mmm.  Good choice!  It's a different and stronger flavor than I'm used to, but I like it a lot.

Ciao for now

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

La Venaria Reale

 Buon Giorno,

Most European cities have a Hop On, Hop Off tour bus. Maybe cities in United States have these, too, and I just haven't noticed. I have never availed myself of one--until today.  I wanted to go the La Venaria Reale, a sumptuous palace and garden complex, and it happened to be on one of the routes.  I booked on line, and the lovely receptionist at my aparthotel printed out my ticket.

I showed up at the bus stop and was launched.  Admission to the palace and gardens were included.  I find Torino confusing.  Usually I can orient myself by metro lines and stops, but Torino's are few and far between and not catered toward tourists.  There are plenty of tram and bus lines, but I would have no idea which ones to take.  So I had a long, long bus ride.  I thought I was in the fancy part of the city, but no. To get to the really fancy buildings in the historic center, I'm going to have to walk beyonrd the Castello.

One of the stops was the soccer stadium.  There's a museum dedicated to Torino's Juventus team.  My energy is limited so I took a pass.

At last we fetched up at Venaria Reale.  It's evidently its own city.  If you can tell from the name Venaria, it began its career as a royal hunting lodge--rather like that other over-achieving hunting lodge outside of Paris.  In fact Venaria reminded me somewhat of Versailles.  It's as large as Versailles or nearly but built in a different style.  It is in fact yet another project.

I was constrained both by the bus schedule and my own physical limitations, so I rushed through a lot of the introductory information on the House of Savoy and the stages of the construction of the palace.  The state rooms are grand--some of them I'd call grandiose.  Always look up.  The ceiling frescos are always delightful and the plasterwork was intricate and beautiful.  The rooms were sparsely furnished because the palace was abandoned and neglected after the fall of the monarchy, and I suspect most of the royal goodies were moved to the Palazzo Reale and Palazzo Madama.  But the place is definitely worth a visit and worth all the trouble it took to get there.

I was glad to escape to the gardens.  I don't like being in crowds, and I do like open green spaces.  Italian gardens tend to be very formal and geometric.  The gardens at Venaria are huge, and I feel I barely scratched the surface even though I wandered around for a little over an hour.  If you have more time and energy than I do you can make a day of it, as the garden features some cafes.  An apero under the trees with a view of the alpine foothills sounds pretty nice.

But I had to get the bus back.  We took a different route home, so I feel I got to see a lot of the city, including real people neighborhoods. I liked the service so much, that I'm going to use it tomorrow to reach my next target.

I came home worn out and hungry.  After having my water and taking off my contact lenses and shoes, I poured some of that wine from Sardinia.  I'd never had wine from the island before, and I really like it.  I had some almonds and a Southern Italian snack I'd brought from home.  My version is called Taralmini, and are small baked rounds of dough flavored with rosemary.  They may sound dull, but they are, in fact, very good.

Dinner will be Agnolotti, and if I feel I need more sustenance, I have some Piedmontese cheese.

Ciao for now

Parco Valentino and the Borgo Medievale

 Buon Giorno,

I am having a big day tomorrow, so I wanted something more low key, but still active for today, so I went in a different direction.  Instead of taking Via Po, I walked parallel to the River Po away from the historic center to a part of the city I had not been before.  It was a fair step along a busy street with a lot of traffic, but at length I found the entrance to the park.

Torino is well provided with parks, but most of them are not in the city center.  The city does take advantage of its river banks and Parco Valentino is quite large and very lovely.  If you are there at the right time and fancy a snack or apero, several small establishments can provide.  If you want to join a boating club, you can find those, too.

I strolled around and up and down admiring the trees and flowers and enjoying the green smell and the sound of chirping birds.  One of my favorite places was what they called the Alpine Garden--very appropriate for Piedmont with a variety of colorful flowers including irises.  There are a lot of nicely winding paths to follow.

I'm guessing that on fine weekends the place is pretty lively.  Even on a weekday morning plenty of Torinesi were there walking their dogs.

The Borgo Medievale or Medieval Village is on the far side of the park.  Entrance is free.  Now, you have to understand that this is not a real Medieval village--it's a Nineteenth Century pastiche from the Romantic Era when all things Medieval were the fashion.  It's fakery aside, it's a delightful place and very pretty and fun to walk around.  There are a couple of gift shops, but I found them disappointing since I care naught for Harry Potter merchandise or fake armor and weapons.

What was fun was the presence of some tiny gray squirrels chasing each other around.  Are gray squirrels Piedmontese?  Italian?  I don't know.

The weather was very nice, and I promised myself that I would walk back along the river.  The water sparkled in the sunlight and flowed peacefully along.  This stretch of the Po is evidently for recreational purposes only because I did not see any tourist or commercial activity going on.  This was fine by me as I could enjoy freely flowing water.

Ciao for now

The Egyptian Museum

 Buon Giorno,

I think I may have escaped just in time.  Apparently it's School Trip Day in Torino, and I could swear that every elementary school in the city has emptied out, and every class seemed headed toward the Egyptian Museum.  When I reached the exit after my visit I found several school groups waiting to enter, and I met at least six on my way home.  Actually I think it's wonderful for children to have the opportunity to visit great museums and further their education that way.  I just don't want to share with them.

Now you might be raising your eyebrows at Torino's having an Egyptian Museum, but I can assure you, it's one of the great sights of the city, a world class museum, and well worth a visit.  But like the Palazzo Reale, it is a project.  I wore myself out even though I enjoyed all the exhibits.

It was easy to get to and find.  I had my Torino+Piedmonte pass ready to go, but the family ahead of me had some kind of problem, and the man was very unhappy.  Apparently he'd prepaid for the entrance, but the lady at the ticket counter wanted him and his family to buy tickets, and he argued and argued.  I know because he was speaking English.  After realizing this wasn't going to be resolved any time soon, I decided to try another line.  My card worked just fine and I got my ticket and was launched.

Now I really, really like history, and I taught Art History, so I recognize a lot of the Egyptian iconography and can tell you grossly over simplified things about the Pre Dynastic Period, the Old Kingdom, the New Kingdom (I confess to knowing nothing about the Middle Kingdom) and the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods.  All of these are covered--and covered really well--in this museum.  The Kings of Piedmont and later Italy generously sponsored archeological digs, and the finds are very well exhibited and explained.  I felt I learned a lot about Egyptian Culture.  Most of the artifacts are from the tombs of aristocrats and officials, but we know their names and something about their lives.

I was amazed at the variety of wooden objects and even more amazed at the beautifully preserved linen textiles and hemp ropes.  A lot of lovely carved and painted steles were on offer.  In one part of the museum a funerary temple had been reconstructed.  I'd never seen one before despite seeing Egyptian exhibits in London, Paris, and Berlin.  It's not that I didn't like the grand statuary of pharaohs and gods, but I was most touched by the objects used for everyday that the Egyptians knew they would need in the afterlife--combs, cosmetic jars, their clothes and bed linen.  Also apparently sometimes the gods wanted the deceased to work on their afterlife farms.  Well, if I'm a Scribe or something of the sort, such work is beneath me.  Ha ha!  I'll have figurines made, and a lot of them with overseers to boot, so when the gods call on me, they can do the work.

I began the day with another trip to the grocery store.  I came home with more Piedmontese cheese even though I had not finished the Robiola.  Apero is Tomino de Bascaiolo on toast with Barbera de Monferrant.  This cheese has a soft rind and is lovely on toast with red wine.

Don't call them ravioli.  In Piedmont they are agnolotti and are filled with meat.  It's what's for dinner.  Most regions of Italy have their own version and their own names.  I'm sure they are all good.

Ciao for now