February 1, 2026

Torino, Italia

The girls really did tire us out yesterday. We both slept all night, and I didn’t wake up until it had gone 05:30. A nice warm bath this morning. Went down to the restaurant here in the hotel for breakfast. I was really hungry for some reason. Normally it would be a cappuccino and brioche at a small bar, but this morning I needed more. They have a very nice buffet breakfast here. There were all types of rolls, croissants, fresh fruit, yogurt, scrambled eggs and bacon.

I had scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, spremuta d’arancia (fresh squeezed orange juice), two croissants with marmellata and two cappuccini before I wasn’t hungry again. I took two croissants and a fruit yogurt back to the room for Nonna. They also had some fancy looking tea bags (Whittington Superior Tea, English Breakfast) so I took two of them for me.

Once I got back I spent some time chatting with Grace after she arrived in Milano. Apparently, her arrival and the arrival of many of the Olympic athletes, happened at the same time. Things at the airport were quite chaotic. They apparently moved the Autostradle ticket booth and departure point because of the Olympics. Grace was supposed to take the Autostradle to Torino.

Well after a few panicky minutes we figured it out and she took the Malpensa Express into Centrale and then connected with Frecciarossa 9516 which was schedule to leave Milano Centrale at 12:02 and get to Torino Porta Nuova at 13:00. She managed to download the app, register and book a seat on the train, all while she was on the bus. Not particularly remarkable for a self-sufficient intelligent college freshman who is highly motivated. However, now days one does wonder if a college freshman can even tie their shoes.

Nonna and I left the hotel just about noon to walk the 1.5 km (1 mile) to the Porto Nuova train station. It is an easy, mostly level walk down Via Roma.  We got to the train station before it had gone 12:25. We were hungry but offered to wait for Grace, but she said we should go ahead and eat if we were hungry. So, nonna and I went upstairs to the Toast House and got the “Fry Chicken”. Cotoletta di pollo, bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and light mayonnaise. We each got a bottle of water to help hydrate ourselves. It was ok, and splitting it was just enough to fulfill the hunger.

Grace’s train arrived just after it had gone 13:00, about six minutes late. The first thing we did was find a place to get her something to eat. She wanted pizza. The Rossopompodoro, the one place upstairs that served pizza was packed and had a line. So we suggested we start walking and we would find some place on the way to Serra and Pietro’s. Vyta Boulangerie, on the ground floor was open and not as busy, so we stopped there and got her a pizza, cappuccino (even though it was afternoon), while nonna and I had muffins (yes, with a cappuccino just so Grace wouldn’t be left out).

Unfortunately, Grace had left Oxford, MS for Los Angeles to get away from the winter storm which had incapacitated Old Miss. While she was there, Old Miss announced it would be closed for an additional week, or until February 8. So, we texted she would like to come to Torino so she can meet Amadea. Being softies, we said sure. Unfortunately, the weather in Torino is more like Oxford right now than Los Angeles. Oh, before someone askes, she had gone to LA to visit her friend Rhia from high school who is going to UCLA.

So, she arrived in Torino on the 1st of February without a coat or scarf. The walk down Via Roma was more of a shopping extravaganza than a walk to Serra and Pietro’s. The first stop was Zara. Coat, dress, sweaters, pants, and what not. We continued on to OVS, where we stopped for a scarf. She now had on a warm coat, although she was still wearing leggings.

We continued on and made it to Serra and Pietro’s just after it has gone 15:00. We stayed and played with girls and made pizza for dinner. It was a lot of fun but nonna and I were tired, so we exited just as it had gone 20:00 and headed back to the hotel.

We walked back on Via Giuseppe Verdi. There were a few students out in the bars near the university. The Place was even open, which is where we like to go for cappuccino and brioche in the morning. It was chilly and the fog was moving into the city, which only brought down the temperature, or at least decreased what it felt like. The time time we got to Piazzetta Reale it was like walking in a film noir movie from the 1950’s. You felt like you were a character in Agatha Christie’s “Witness for the Prosecution”. Where behind every dark corner there was evil.

As you turn off of Piazzetta Reale and walk under the portico between it and Piazza San Giovanni, you have between part of the palace on your right and the Cathedral di San Giovanni Battista on your left, there are street lights ahead of you and behind you, but not under the portico. The fog was thick and diffused the light. You could feel the evil lurking just a few steps away, but you just couldn’t see it through the light diffused by the fog. A few steps later and you were in Piazza San Giovanni, safe and snug in the light bathing the cathedral from across the square.

A few more steps and you left the piazza and turned down Via della Basilica, and the hotel was insight. You made it! The sliding glass doors of the hotel open and you a hit with the warm breath of the hotel lobby. Nonna grabbed a glass of lemon infused water in the lobby, while I called for the elevator. It was a quick ride to the fourth floor.

Once ensconced in our room we got ready for bed. It was a nice warm bath to shake off the chill of the evening of me. Then it was off to the nice comfortable bed. We check out tomorrow and head for Sondrio. We know there is a Trenord strike from 02:00 Monday morning until 03:00 Tuesday morning, except between 06:00 and 08:00 and 18:00 and 20:00. The strikers don’t want to disrupt the commute times. We adjusted our tickets for tomorrow to follow the strike rules. The first train is a Frecciarossa and is therefor exempt from the strike and it is operated by Trenitalia not Trenord. The train from Milano Centrale to Sondrio is a Trenord train. But it leaves centrale at 18:20, so it should be running, although it really isn’t a “commuter” train. Well, maybe the part between Lecco and Milano is, but between Lecco and Sondrio, probably not so much. Well see how it goes tomorrow.

Buonanotte e Ciao

Enrico e Maria