Il Gran Balon, and the Concertino dal Balconcino

Sunday, 12 November (Day Fifty-six)

Today was il Gran Balon!

I thought I might buy a few things but this didn’t happen. I considered some lovely baskets and then, because they weren’t from Italy but Senegal, I decided against it. I had also thought about buying an old Barbie doll but I  have more stuff than I need so that didn’t go into my bag either. At this part of the trip I was being mindful of what might fit in the suitcase.

Gran Balon
Gran Balon

Then we went to the Concertino dal Baloncino. It takes place on the Via Mercanti, a lovely little lane in the centre of Turin.  There are some beautiful old shops along here and I was amused by one that sold only Tiramisu.

Tiramisu Shop
Tiramisu Shop
Shop along Via Mercanti
Shop along Via Mercanti

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The market and Calamity

Saturday, Nov 4 (Day Forty-nine)

I walked through the market today to pick up some food. I ended up with my arms full of bags. It was crazy. Today I got ‘eggs from happy chickens’ and was a bit shocked to pay three euros for six of them. Tired, I handed it over and left.  So encumbered by bags as I was, one got broken before I reached home!

The farmers market
The farmers market
Market seller
Market seller

I decided to treat myself to a coffee and squeezed into a tiny coffee bar that had one table. People came in while I was there and there was barely room for me, my packages and them too.

A cappuccino and a pistachio cream croissant
A cappuccino and a pistachio cream croissant

When I got home, I had a message from someone I knew online saying they wanted to meet for a coffee. So after a rest I set off again through the market and down the street to Via Garibaldi. I met Giovanna and her boyfriend, Marco, and had a cup of hot chocolate. We talked about her long years in London and my thoughts on Torino. Too bad we met so late in my trip since she would have been a great resource for me.
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More Millos and a visit to the supermarket

Monday, 30 October (Day Forty-three)

Now the clocks have changed, I’m waking up at 5am. Nothing new there but hopefully I’ll get used to it. I have another time change to grapple with when we get back to London so we’ll see!

Today we decided to go to see some more Millo and then pick up some groceries. We have a map that shows where all the Millos are so we pick off four to the west of us and set off to the bus.

They are all in the Barriera di Milano, a mostly deprived area to the north west of us. The map shows them really clearly and in the end  the four we’ve chosen are all within very close distance of each other. Excellent! I’m feeling lazy.

Milano is interesting. There are several ethnic communities. We find a market with many Africans selling. I buy some bits of lace and some white thread as it closes. I also find a Latin American store and come close to buying tamales but they are frozen and I don’t feel like carrying the large frozen package around.

I feel somewhat uncomfortable photographing neighbourhoods that are busy with people. Sometimes the camera is unwelcome, sometimes someone will get hostile and often I feel awkward and ugly photographing something that’s obviously downtrodden. Like a rich, disinterested voyeur/anthropologist.

Barriera di Milano market
Barriera di Milano market
Barriera di Milano neighbourhood
Barriera di Milano neighbourhood

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Laziness, Photo exhibits, and Foiled plans

Saturday, 28 October (Day Forty-one)

Today I meant to go to Bra but woke up feeling tired and lazy. So I went with that and stayed in Torino.

A quick visit to the market for some lunch items in the morning. I’ve discovered a bread stand in the market that sells a rye baguette, although the Italian version of rye is quite light in flavour.  I think one of the sellers must know me by now but not sure – today she winked at me when asking if I wanted my baguette cut in half, so maybe.

I love to see ‘characters in the market. This man sat with various cold meats (salume) and a pile of breadsticks, along with a bottle of wine. It wasn’t clear if he was selling or sharing!

Market character
Market character

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BIG OOPS FOR ESMERALDA! Porta Nuova, Al Bicerin, the Markets, L’Acino, and a walkabout

Saturday, 21 October (Day Thirty-four)

This morning we’re up and ready to go when Esmeralda has a nasty surprise. Her wallet is missing. We keep faith and look and look but no, it’s gone. Possibly left on the train, the last place she saw it.

It’s unbelievably hard to figure out what to do next. The sites don’t have much in the way of information. We aren’t sure what to do first but logic tells me you go first to the train company. That would work well if there was a contact point. There just isn’t. And after some phone calls that end in no information, and a vain attempt at an online chat, it’s pretty clear the only option is to go back to the station.

Once there, the queue doesn’t seem long but it takes a while to get to the front. The customer service rep isn’t there at first. Once he is, each customer takes a long time – we can only hope he’s as patient with us. Our turn next but first the rep takes five minutes or so to tidy his desk. The day is marching on.

Our turn consists of Esmeralda explaining that she’s lost her wallet on the train, the rep asking if it contains her ID card, her answering yes, and the rep telling her curtly to go the police office on platform One.

She fills in an elaborate form. The police are polite and friendly and tell us it’s 50/50 if the wallet will be found and returned. No idea, then? We think we’ve done all we can and head off to the market
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