Tuesday 17 October (Day Thirty)
I didn’t expect to discover as much as I did today. And there seemed to be a theme. I heard about a restaurant and checked it out online. As often happens, looking at the restaurant meant looking at the area it was in. This one was at an area called Docks Dora. Krish said it sounded familiar and he wondered if it was a factory development he had seen on his last trip.
We took a bus and my pass wouldn’t BIP! Ugh. Off I go into the bus station where we need to step down and they confirm that it’s now BIPless. So that’s on my list now. On the buses and trams it may not matter too much but if I decide to take the metro I’ll be out of luck. Must get my BIP back!
We walk vaguely towards the area where Docks Dora is and discover a really nice high street area. There are little shops and cafes here and, although it’s quite traditional, I have a sense that this area will become a bit trendier with some time. It’s also residential and the flats here are middle class, clean, fairly modern. I could actually imagine living here.
Walking towards Dock Dora, there’s a new road being built. It’s mostly complete but not in use yet. It will change the area dramatically since now it’s quite isolated.
Beyond the incomplete road on the left is an old factory complex. This is Docks Dora.
There are some trendy shops – although more like headquarters than actual retail outlets. And inside the hall of the factory there’s parking and a raised platform along which there are a couple of cafes and some offices – all very minimalist and modern. I’m thinking it reminds me somewhat of the Robinson Building, or 401 Richmond in Toronto – the atmosphere and modern feeling. At the same time the raised area is like the wild west with its stores and offices set back on a platform from street level.
I poke my head into the restaurant that led me here. Nothing much to see here. A modern take on traditional Piemontese food. Then I also find a burger place and let Krish know there are onion rings. So we order some – they’re a big favourite with him generally. Under the counter there’s a pie and a half – apple! And a cheesecake. Along the windowsills are jars of pickles with their own label.
The onion rings are average – and expensive at 4 Euros, especially when we see a burger is 4.50 – but Krish has a good talk with a woman in there about burgers in Italy. The ones here are made with a special aged beef mixed with enough fat to give them taste. We ask about the pies and she says ‘American! We serve American food.’ She’s Spanish and laments that after a week of pasta, you just want something else.
It’s pretty interesting here though. The area will likely continue to develop and then will probably take off. Torino has a chance to really blossom in the next decade. With the Lavazza complex, Vanchiglietta, and now this area of Vittorio, that’s pretty evident.
We plan to go to Park Dora to check out more graffiti but get on a bus that veers off in a different direction so instead we find our way through Balon to the flat for a short rest. On the way we go into another building – it used to be a market and still houses pop ups like the Christmas market – Cortile del Maglio, another old building that serves a new purpose.
There’s a big space in the centre, above which is an atrium roof. There’s a lot of metal girders and the whole thing looks industrial. Now all around the edges are workshops and a café or two.
It also houses the I Love Toret society store. This society protects the public fountains around the city. You can also adopt one of them. Public fountains – or you’d call them water pumps – are used by everyone in Italy to collect fresh water. In Turin the spigots look like the head of a bull (the Torino symbol). You can also buy souvenirs, cups, T-shirts, small fountains…
After a short break, we go out again, this time over to Vanchiglietta to where Raspino, the bakery, is. There’s a small pocket of gentility here. The cafes and shops are a bit fancier. There are the ladies that lunch – and more. Younger people lean their bikes as they pop into the bakeries and the bars. Things are changing. I buy a small ice cream – this time Torroncino (nougat) and Fighi de’Inde, which I think will be fig, until I taste it. This is definitely persimmons!
Walking back to the flat we discover yet another area that’s on the rise. A large old factory that houses offices for things like ‘Jesus Jeans’ and funnily enough a shop called Docks Dora! Hmm. And over on a side street there’s a new building project. It looks like an old warehouse or factory building and apart from a complete steel framework only the front façade remains. We’ve seen this a lot in London so it’s interesting.
We see we are only a short walk away from the Lavazza building so head that way and check out the progress on their garden. It will open to the public, along with a new restaurant headed by guys who were involved with El Bulli, after we leave. Krish says that at this time we would be able to also gain access to the ruins under the Lavazza building. More regeneration.
It was a theme day – and quite accidentally!