This time last week we were waking up in Torino and getting our lives back into two big and one little suitcase. We looked out and across to the Alps and to Superga.
Yes, today marks one week.
That first night I climbed into a bed made with icy sheets and woke the next morning earlier than I wanted. Mini jetlag! I remember our first weeks in Italy, napping on the couches after lunch and how luxurious and necessary it felt. No naps in London despite the fatigue.
What does it mean to ‘get back to normal’? I don’t think I’m there yet and, at any rate, being away means a strange compulsion to do something different now – only I’m not sure what. Normal is not what I strive for but…
Today Krish was going on a tour to Thales Aerospace and I stayed behind. It was a lovely clear morning.
I stopped by the pasta shop to buy some ravioli. I feel like my Italian has halted and I need more practice! However, at least I can buy what I want and make myself understood. It’s vocabulary and fluency that I need to build.
I’ve decided to stop by the lovely little toy shop in the Quadrilatero and also visit the Santuaria della Consalata, since I had loved it on my very brief visit earlier.
The toy shop was chaotic as expected from the window and I had a lovely (English) chat with the owner about ‘Made in China.’ Bottom line, the items made in China are about a quarter of the price of those made in Italy, Germany or Czech. That’s a huge difference.
I went in to the Consolata and again was struck by how beautiful it was. There are several domed areas and each is different. Little chapels, a prayer area with confessionals, altars, an organ, balconies… This is a real treasure and, although I prefer plain, humble churches, this one has really caught my imagination. I wander around as quietly as I can among the people praying, and I light a candle to my mum and dad and whisper a silent thank you to them.
I head over to the little square at IV Marzo and treat myself to an ice cream. I choose lemon and sage (can’t taste the sage), and Crema d’uova. It’s delicious. I took a photo to show how very small the cups of gelato are. I haven’t ever wished they were bigger. It’s just enough for me.
Yes, I ate it all!
Up on the large dome at the Duomo that houses the shroud, I see they are hard at work, the orange construction vests contrasting with the grey of the dome and the scaffolding.
And then through the Porta Palatina, noticing the building near to the entrance. I’ve not looked at it as closely before and it’s apparently one of the oldest in the city.
A mosquito (or many) has been biting us. We’re itching and scratching and I’m swelling up in places since I sometimes have an allergic reaction. Not fun at all, Torino. Don’t your mosquitoes know their season is done? Temperatures are hovering around zero during the night. Enough!
Today was a rainy one so we planned a circuit of the city on a few different buses. However, in the morning we went to the market and picked up some food to last us a couple of days. I looked around for any of my Saturday rescuers but didn’t see any. I buy some smoked mozzarella, and some thin slices of veal to make Milanese. If you throw some lemon slices in the pan, they get caramelised and crunchy. That’s what we have for lunch with a little fresh spaghetti from the local pasta shop.
BorageKeep calm
Our first bus took us to an area where I really felt that autumn had arrived. I’m enjoying the smell of fallen leaves, the colours of the trees, and the different light in the sky (when there is some). The long straight streets, often lined with trees on the main thoroughfares, adds to this feeling. Winter is coming but it’s not here yet but the days are shorter – it’s dark before 6pm. Continue reading “Mosquitoes, Autumn in Torino, Fancy Shopping and the night lights”
Today, if we want to complete our Millo tour, we need to renew our BIP card so we walk over to the Tabaccheria where the man speaks English and we order a week’s travel. Simple!
On the tram, our cards don’t go BIP. They make a hesitant warbling sound and a notice flashes up that might have read Not Valid. Not again! We carry on regardless but as we travel I read the receipt. It starts Monday! Apparently the settimanale is from Monday to Sunday and we weren’t aware. We make the decision to play dumb and work out the solutions but it does put a bit of a crimp in our plans to have unlimited travel for the remaining two weeks. Hmm.
Onward.
There are five Millos left and I’m pretty sure two of them were ones we have seen on our last visit. I even mentally locate them – on residential streets, with nothing much around them. Let’s see if I’m right.
In fact, I am. A bit of back and forth while we get our bearings on the map and find the Millos sometimes not quite where we imagined, but there they all are in the end. One is in a small children’s school playground. That’s the hardest to photograph. The last one is in a narrow street opposite some construction that makes it a little hard to photograph too.
The rest of the Millos
However, I find a nice cafe selling a slice of plain pizza and there behind the counter is Krish’s favourite Naples pastry -frolla. He’s been looking for one for quite a while and has even talked of making his own…some day. The frolla is made with sweet short pastry dough that surrounds a ricotta and dried fruit filling. (And no, it’s actually not too sweet!)
This morning I finally made my beef stew – with red wine, whole garlic, red onion wedges, thyme, and some young carrots. I taste it before we leave and am thrilled that it’s much more tender than the original too-lean meat promised.
On the way out we go along Via Milano. We used to be on this road a lot in ‘our’ old flat but haven’t gone along here too often this time. There are still things there that evoke the pure essence of Torino.
Torino StarVia Milano and Piazza della Citta
We went on the metro to Pozzo Strada. We had no idea what was there – we chose the station at random. Pozzo! Pozzo! Turns out it means ‘well.’ Nothing much around there – lots of low rise apartments. What was pretty cool, though, was how long and straight the road was (Roman roads here in Turin) and straight through to the Alps. Today we could see them.
