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Via Cernaia, The Lights

Friday, 3 November (Day Forty-seven)

The days are winding down. I’ve decided against Milan since there is still a list of things to do in Torino. I confess that one reason is I have no one to go with. I’m not usually shy about big cities no matter how gritty but for some reason, the combination of gritty city and navigating in Italian have scared me away from this plan. Hopefully there’ll be no regrets.

I read that the Pietro Micca museum is free every day and I have a bit of time to spare today so off we set. We also visit a shop where everything is made by prisoners (some nice stuff!) and a gallery of photographs showing how Torino has grown since 1995 – answer = a lot!

We walk along Via Cernaia and see it with different eyes than in our first week. The shops are quite fancy here. We pop into a store that sells British groceries – just a few – and are astounded by the price tag of 12 Euros on a box of 120 PG Tips. And here’s a jar of Patak’s Balti Paste – at 8 Euros I might have considered it earlier in the trip. Serves me right for forgetting to bring a bit for this journey. Oh well, soon enough… There’s some cool chocolate gifts in here too but we walk out emptyhanded.

The big road closest to the Pietro Micca (via Vinzaglio) is very wide and very long. I can’t see the end of it. On the sidewalk I see a reminder of Italy’s past – I wonder how many others there are. Had I seen this earlier in my adventure I’d have gone looking for them. But perhaps it’s best that I didn’t. My mood turns sombre.

Assassinato
Assassinato

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All Saints Day, Churches

Wednesday, 1 November (Day Forty-five)

Today is All Saints Day. The market and many stores are closed. And today we have no more days on our BIP card so the first order of the day is to get it filled up again. Then we plan to go see the rest of the Millo pieces in Barriera di Milano.

When we go out, we can’t find a tobacconist that’s open so we readjust our plans. We’ll stay local and visit a church we’ve seen from the tram.

It’s just a short walk away to the west of us. Along the way there are a few Chinese restaurants that we take note of. I’m feeling a bit ‘off’ today and a bowl of noodle soup sounds perfect. We even find a Chinese bakery. No 2 for a dollar bun here, though – Two euros a piece.

This area of Regina Marguerita is scruffy. People beg along here, they sell goods from shopping carts and carrier bags, and we’ve seen small gangs and individuals selling drugs. Not pretty but all part of city life.

Also to the west is Rondò della Forca (Gallows Corner). It’s a very large intersection with five roads meeting at the roundabout. Between  1835 to 1853 public hangings took place here. It’s also said to the birthplace of the square loaf – “Pancarrè” is a type of sliced bread, whose name is synonymous with “Square Bread”. Born in Turin, its origin is really special. Back in the old times, when an executioner went into a bakery to buy bread he was usually met with the resistance of the baker that was not happy to serve those who dealt in such a trade and, as a sign of contempt, would hand him the loaf upside down. Later on, this practice was banned by an ordinance, however, it was soon overtaken by bakers, who started to produce a new type of square bread, equal on each side, in order to continue undetected with their little “benevolent” custom as an inside joke (from “Alla scoperta del cibo” by Fabrizio Diolaiuti, Sperling & Kupfer).  That’s some history!

The church we’re looking for is called Maria Ausiliatrice – it’s a beauty!

Maria Ausiliatrice
Maria Ausiliatrice
Maria Ausiliatrice dome
Maria Ausiliatrice dome
Fountain for Three
Fountain for Three

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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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Bologna – what we did

Oct 6-9 – A visit to see Esmeralda

On the evening I arrived, we went to a birthday party for one of the teachers Esmeralda works with. They were sitting at a very long table together with several bottles of prosecco at hand. It was aperitivo hour and at some time a food buffet would appear – one extra euro when you buy the prosecco. But I’m hungry and when I hear one teacher say she’s leaving to get some ‘proper food’ I ask if I can tag along. The teacher, her sister and the sister’s boyfriend and I hurry across the food to a restaurant inside a market but it’s closed for 45 more minutes and we’re all hungry.

As a rule, restaurants are open for lunch from 12-2 or 3 (I’ve seen a couple that open just for one hour at lunch) and then don’t reopen until 730 for dinner, much later than I’m used to. But some are open earlier for tourists or don’t close at all so we find one that will let us in. I order a gnochetti with clams and rapini. It’s not bad – the rapini is cooked far too long, as usual. But it fills a hole. I talk to the teacher who has arrived six weeks earlier from her last job in Dubai. She says her long apartment is 600 Euros a month and that she’s just getting used to the pace of life here – not rushing, just like the Italians. I’m mostly struck by how different her life and her sister’s lives are. They’re from Liverpool and their idea of going out is to cafes and restaurants. After a while, I’m happy to get back to the noisy pub.

My gnochetti wasn’t a large portion so Esmeralda brings me a plate or two of green beans and chick peas, some eggplant and potato. It’s decent, cheap food to serve along with drinks and I’m glad that I had some clams earlier.

We get along well in the flat. There’s plenty of breathing space but no internet! So glad my phone has plenty of data. I enjoy the independent and girly feel in that flat. I think I miss it. It’s been a long time. Wistful.

The next day we go for brunch and I shock myself by having a burger. It’s been ages since I had meat! It’s not bad at all. Then we wander around the various markets – stalls are selling vintage clothes, housewares, clothing of all sorts, antiques, old stuff. I buy three old scarves for a euro. They’ll do for fabric for my next doll when I get around to it.

Later that night we went for dinner. The menus look pretty similar everywhere. I choose a predictable tagliatelle with ragu (or bolognese, as everyone else calls it) and can’t finish it. We are both stuffed to discomfort so collapse at the flat.

Tagliatelle Al Ragu
Tagliatelle Al Ragu

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A movie and Turkish food in Torino

Thursday 5 October (Day Eighteen)

Today was an interesting day! In the morning I went to the market – we were out of food! I bought a nice cauliflower and then realised I’d been overcharged by a euro. I also got stewing beef – that was a real challenge to ask for but it’s done. At the back of the farmers market was cheese stall and I had an interesting conversation with the seller in French. At the market some people do speak French and a lot of the Arabic speakers will do that to make sure you get what you want. It’s fun. Oh, and Liat recommended that I try a Nebbiolo (red wine) from the region so I will open that when I can.

When I got home, I planned to start the stew. Was thinking about red wine and thyme and garlic in there… but once there Krish suggested we go see the original language version of Blade Runner 2049 showing in only one small cinema in central Torino. I’ve been looking forward to it so – yes!

The cinema is in a part of Torino we haven’t spent a lot of time in so we can look around that a bit. The cinema is on a short pedestrianised street lined with cafes and little shops as well as a gated garden. And the cinema itself is easily missed, it’s so small. Not only small but also gated. With a padlock – less than half an hour before the show start time!  Hmm. We walk up and down for a few minutes and when we get back we notice a half dozen people sitting around, most likely also waiting for that padlock to come off. At least this wasn’t a scam, then. Just a few steps from the cinema is a Turkish café. Neither of us is fond of Turkish food but this promises hummus and baba ghanoush and the like, and we’ve been desperate for some nice fresh flavours. However, it will be closed when the film ends. Ah well…

Blade Runner 2049 in the original English
Blade Runner 2049 in the original English

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