Torino, Italia
Taking it easy again today. We got going at 08:30 and went to The Palace near the university for cappuccino and brioche. Then we stopped at the market and picked up a few things. We went home played a hand or two of cards before going out to the Gran Madre neighborhood across the river.
Mary had some things she wanted from Sephora and I chose the one in the Gran Madre neighborhood as the one. Just because it was closer than the one on Via Roma. We went looking for a particular pizza restaurant, but when we got there, we found out they don’t open until 19:00. So we walked around looking for some place for lunch.
We ended up at Wallpaper Lounge Bistot. We shared a caprese salad. A little different presentation but still nice. Slices tomatoes, and very small pieces of mozzarella topped with a pesto. I got the beef cutlet alla Milanese. Mary got a small filet. Both came with roasted potatoes. It was good. Way too much food as usual.
Afterwards Mary went to Sephora and I went to Gran Madre di Dio (Great Mother of God) a Neoclassic-style church dedicated to Mary. It is on the western bank of the Po River, facing the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele I leading into Piazza Vittorio Veneto. The church was conceived in 1814, after the defeat of Napoleon, to celebrate the return to the throne of King Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia from the Savoia family, after a 16 years of exile.
Construction began in 1818, only to pause for nearly a decade, and restart in 1827, under the rule of Charles Felix of Sardinia. The church was inaugurated in 1831 under Charles Albert of Sardinia. Flanking the entrance staircase, atop two high plinths, are two statues, one representing Faith (with calyx) and the other Religion both by Carlo Chelli. The tympanum of the church states: ORDO POPVLVSQVE TAVRINVS OB ADVENTVM REGIS, which can be translated as: The Nobility and the People of Turin for the Return of the King. The church architecture was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. In front of the church is a statue of a King Vittorio Emanuele I, walking forward, holding a staff in his right arm. The inscription on the base reads Vittorio Emanuele I/ Re di Sardegna/ Restituito a su Pepolo/il XX Maggio MDCCCXIV/ Ne Coronara/ la Fedeltà secolare. Or, Victor Emmanuel I/ King of Sardinia/ Restored to his People/ on May 20, 1744/ His crown/ his secular loyalty.
In the lower portion, ground floor sort-of, of the church is a Memorial to the Fallen in World War I (Sacrario dei Caduti nella Prima Guerra Mondiale). It one of the many memorials to soldiers who died in the Great War in Italy. Unfortunately, it was closed.
Mary and I walked on the western side of the Po, our apartment is on the eastern side. From Ponte Vittorio Emanuele I to Ponte Regina Margherita. Parco Ignazio Michelotti follows the course of the river between the two ponte. The old Torino Zoo is here, it has been for a long time, but it seems to be abandoned. I think it was two or three years ago when I was here.
The Po is very high due to the recent rains. In fact, it is actually coming very close to rising up to the lower walkway along the river. Lots of mud and debris in the river. Looks very angry. We walk back to the apartment through a part of the town we haven’t previously walked. Not a spectacular neighborhood but nice.
We rested in the apartment and then meet Lulu and family outside their apartment and walked over to Piazza Vittorio Veneto for an aperitivo. We walked to the end of the colonnade and stopped at SoHo, a popular bar.
Afterwards we walked them back to their apartment and dropped them off. Then we walked back to ours and called it a night. Aperitivo is more than enough dinner when you have had a good lunch.
Buonanotte e Ciao, Enrico e Maria
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