Thursday, 6 September 2018
I am sleeping well. It’s a bloody miracle. Why, then, am I so tired all day? I’ve resolved to ignore it, go with the flow, and see where the day takes me.
We said we’d get to the Tabaccheria by 1, when all of Torino – well, Italy really – closes down for two or three hours, to top up our BIP cards – those are the monthly travel cards. It’s closer to 2 when we leave. And it’s raining.
My new raincoat is actually waterproof as promised but in 28 degree heat it’s also hot! We walked down the road, with overheated me taking photos but mostly in my imagination – too rainy! Past the Porta Palatina, past and through the Palazzo Reale and into the Piazza Castello to the tourist office.
Since July I’ve been trying to book a tour of the Guido Gobino chocolate factory but you need five people to do this. Emails have gone back and forth and I went from being ‘madam’ to ‘dear.’ I thought I might be able to hook up with others but so far I’ve had no luck. Then Cristina told us about the Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2018 – it’s Torino’s food festival week starting the 20th September! Loads of food events around and during that time. And included is a Gobino tour. Finally!
But no, the tourist office tells us that there are no tours – until we explain that it’s part of the Gusto week. The light dawns! But no again! It’s fully booked. Disappointment doesn’t even describe it. Petulance is more like it. How could my now-buddy. Loredana, at Gobino not have mentioned this to me? We left.
Why do my legs hurt so much???
The rain hasn’t let up but we wander through the deserted porticoes and through the little streets checking out the shop windows. The system here seems to be throw a lot of stuff into the window, pretend this is artful, and stand back to admire. One butcher shop had a shop window full of a haphazard wooden buildings and some toys – I wasn’t quite sure what they were getting at but whatever… And the toy shop – they can arrange their windows however they like – those dolls are wonderful.
We stopped briefly in the market. The lazy mood hasn’t let up so tonight we’re trying readymade cotellette – one chicken, one veal.
At home and wrote to Loredana about the tour. I poured on the pleading – well, just a bit. What have I got to lose?
