Turin

Travel and arrival

On our way today to meet friends in Torino (Turin). We met Leonardo & Laura in Australia 10 years ago when we were on a dive boat on the Great Barrier Reef. Possibly the reason we connected so much is because they also follow the MotoGP races so we had things in common to talk about.

Less than an hour train ride and we arrived in Torino and Laura met us on the platform. They drove us to their apartment to drop off luggage and we immediately headed for the Langhe (hills) and the wine region. This is where we'll be staying for a few nights after Torino. 

Our first stop was the village of La Morra. It is on the top of a hill with an absolutely gorgeous view of the rolling hills, agricultural fields and other villages. It is a warm sunny day but not oppressively hot. We got warmer though because we took a walk before lunch. There was a small abandoned chapel downhill from town that a local patron paid to paint in bright colors. The chapel was pretty and there was a musician playing guitar inside. The walk was a bit further than we expected (probably at least 1 mile) and a fair bit of elevation loss so the return walk uphill in the sun got very warm.

Leonardo & Laura had made a lunch reservation for a restaurant in town and it was delicious. We tried the local raw meat specialty; it was super tender and is a favorite dish of Laura's.

Leonardo & Laura wanted to take us wine tasting but here in Italy you generally need a  reservation and many places are closed on the weekends. Wine tasting here is not like in California but there was a place in town that was doing a communal tasting for 10 euros each. We did that and it was very like California - crowded and noisy. Mostly 2012 and 2013 Barolos which is what this area is known for; 2012 & 2013 is young for this varietal but still it was tasty. We could have tasted at least 20 different wines from the 6-8 producers present but that is too much and the crowd was a bit overwhelming. 

From La Morra we continued driving in the hills. We stopped in Monforte and had gelato and saw the outside of the house where Laura's grandfather lived. Then we drove to Grinzane and to the top of the hill where there was a lovely view and a museum in a castle at the top of the hill (we basically just took in the view). 

It does get dark a little bit earlier here in the north of Italy compared to the south of Spain but it's still quite difficult to judge the time of day. So it was surprising that it was already 7pm when we started to head back to Torino. We took brief showers at home and then it was time to go out for a Jazz show and dinner at 10pm. This was not part of the original plan but Leonardo asked when we arrived if we wanted to go and we said yes. So, his friend Eugenio reserved us a table at a club that Leonardo frequented when he was young. It was very popular and crowded - there were 8 people at the 4-person table next to us so they spilled over a bit to our 4-person table where we were five. The Jazz was very good and it was a special show with a somewhat famous American saxophone player (Scott Hamilton).

Home and to bed late.

Sunday, May 21st

Today we visited Venezia Reale which was a royal castle for the Savoy family a very long time ago. Since then it had been used for military offices, parade and marching grounds. It was  subsequently abandoned and became derelict. It was declared a UNESCO heritage site and the Italian government found money to support a complete refurbishment. Now it is a museum (about the Savoy kings) and an art museum. There are also extensive gardens. All of it has been fixed up beautifully and the before and after pictures show clearly that it was a big job. It's about a 30-minute drive from the apartment and we should have left a little earlier than we did because we have to be back this afternoon for the opera. Still, we did have time to wander in the gardens a bit and see all the rooms of the castle. The part we had to rush through was the Savoy history.

We got back to the apartment with just enough time for a quick pasta lunch and then we had to go to the opera. We were going to get a ride but then the communication got mixed up and Leonardo had taken the car elsewhere. Laura ended up guiding us on the subway and a bus and we were lucky in our connections and got to the opera just in time.

We hadn't thought to read up in advance to know the basic plot of The Magic Flute so we were a bit lost. But this was a nice chance to see the inside of another opera house. Unlike the other two, Teatro Regio was rebuilt in a modern style. Initially not popular with the long time afficianados. There were supertitles in Italian and German. Serena initially found it a little challenging to hear German singing and be reading Italian supertitles. Jeff was reading both the Italian and German supertitles but he has less familiarity with German and Italian than Serena. Overall we still don't know all the details of the story but it was clear that all the characters ended up happy at the end and we had a good time too.

Leonardo & Laura are fantastic tour guides. They are very proud of their city and they are taking a lot of care to show us around. After we walked home from the opera we had about a hour until we went out again. They took us to the highest point in Torino which is the Superga. We took in the view and visited the memorial in back for a plane crash which killed the Grande Torino soccer team in 1949. After dinner we came back to the apartment and used Jeff's subscription to watch the MotoGP race which happened today in LeMans France. Bedtime at 12:30 a.m.

Monday, May 22nd

Leonardo & Laura went to work today and we slept in. After breakfast and coffee at the apartment we went to the Egyptian Museum which closes on Monday at 2pm. By the time we walked there we had a bit less than 3 hours and it wasn't enough. They have a massive collection of objects. Plenty of English-language descriptions but only a few have audio guide. However, the audio guide is essentially the same as what you can read so Serena gave up and just read.

We found lunch nearby and a museum that wasn't on our list but is now. More about Museo Risorgimento later. We are meeting Laura at 5pm but we had just enough time after lunch to stop for coffee and take the lift to the top of the Mole Antonelliana for a panoramic view of the city. With Laura we went for an afternoon aperitif - Jeff had an Aperol spritz which he enjoyed much more than the Campari spritz he tried in Venice. Leonardo is working late tonight so we are having dinner at home. As we walked home we stopped at a fruit/veggie market and a bakery and a small supermarket. Dinner around 9pm and sat around talking. We also had generous portions of grappa as a digestiv. We are discovering that good grappa is smooth and tasty.

We're heading to bed again after midnight. This is typical for Leonardo & Laura but not as much for us. Still it's okay since we are the ones who don't have to go to work tomorrow.

Tuesday, May 23rd

We didn't rush out of the house because we only plan to go to one museum. However, before the museum we sought out the neighborhood wine shop to buy a gift bottle of Grappa for Leonardo & Laura (we've consumed 3/4 of the one they opened two nights ago). After bringing our purchase home we walked to the Museo Risorgimento. This is a history museum about the unification of Italy into one kingdom and then from a kingdom to a republic. It also talked about various causes and revolutions throughout Europe that led to the formation/unifying of other countries. The thought was to have lunch after the museum and meet Laura at 5pm. However, it was a very information-dense museum. When we were done, Serena was estimating it was 3:30. WRONG! It was 4:36 and time to go meet Laura. We had been snacking on trail mix and dried apricots but hadn't really eaten since breakfast so we were hungry. Luckily the place Laura took us tonight for happy hour had a generous snack and beverage option.

From there we walked home looking at some unique architecture. We drank a bottle of Prosecco before going because Serena forgot and didn't celebrate one month of retirement at the right time. Dinner tonight is pizza at Cammafa (a southern Italy phrase that is somewhat fatalist such as 'what can I do'). It's very warm today - 90 degrees - so we ate outside. The pizza was delicious. Back at the apartment we had small portions of the gift grappa. 

Wednesday, May 24th

Slept in which was lovely. Pizza for breakfast and Italian-style coffee. Showers and packing. A bit of time for typing and photos before Laura drives us to Barolo (she took a vacation day special to do this for us). Leonardo & Laura have been amazing hosts in every way. Our appreciation and understanding of Torino would be much less without them. Even without their insights Torino would be more engaging than Milano. We have been here longer than we were in Milano and yet we haven't seen and done all that we would like.