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Friday, September 6, 2024

Torino, Italia

 

Wow, we slept in until nearly 8 o’clock! Popped out of bed, made myself a cup of tea and relaxed for a few minutes. Going over in my head, what I should leave behind and what do I have to take to Balkans, and then to Berbenno. Am I leaving the right things? Am I taking everything I need? Then again, does it really matter? Probably not. It isn’t like I can’t buy anything I really need.

 

The most important thing today is that it is Taylor’s 42nd Birthday. Happy Birthday Taylor. We have to remember to call and sing him happy birthday. My goodness our “baby” is 42! That probably means we are getting old.

 

Made Mary a cup of coffee here in the apartment. Then we got ready for day. Checked our packing one last time. Just after 10 we left for Serra and Pietro’s apartment to drop off our suitcases and medicine. It is all of a block and a half away. The door man was out front having a smoke when we arrived. We introduced ourselves and he took us up to their apartment.

 

The housekeeper was there doing her thing. She let is in. We put the suitcases in the living room and the medication in the refrigerator. Then we took a tour of the apartment. Last time we were here it was still under construction. They have done a beautiful job of decorating.

 

We then left the apartment and walked around the corner to Via Giuseppe Verdi and headed northwest towards Palazzo Nuovo. The area looks much like a student district with all the young people, but then at our age everyone basically looks young.

 

We stopped at a coffee shop called The Place next to the University Campus. Nice seating outside. We each got a cappuccino and brioche. They were a good as ever. We still marvel at how for 7 euros we can get a cappuccino and brioche for two. In California the cappuccino would cost that alone, and not be half as good.

 

After enjoying our cappuccini we walked southwest down Via Sant’Ottavio toward Via Po. Via Po is one of the main drags, and the streetcar tracks are being redone in the middle of the road. We walked northwest down Via Po until we got to Piazza Castello. Here we saw the Hop On Hop Off bus stop and stand. Although we have been to Torino before, we decided to take the tour.

 

The Hop on Hop Off bus in Torino has four different routes; Linea Rossa, Linea Blu, Linea Verde and Sassi-Superga Express. We have been up to the Basilica di Superga with Pietro and Serra. It is quite beautiful and the views of Torino are wonderful. According to the map given to us at the Hop on Hop off terminal there is a funicular railway which goes up the mountain to the Basilica. That sounds like fun.


It is called “Cremegloera Tranvia Da Sassi a Superga – GTT. The line was inaugurated in 1884. And was built according to the Agudio system: the train was powered by a motor driving a steel cable that ran parallel to the track. In the 1930s it was transformed into a tramline. The online description says, “the Sassi-Superga offers visitors a journey of another period, full of emotions and fascination. The convoy, in the authentic 1934 version, climbs on the Turin hills offering unforgettable views of the city. After the trip, which takes about 18 minutes, you reach Superga where, from the Basilica built by Juvarra at 660 metres height, can be enjoyed all Turin and the majestic Alps. Le Corbusier used to say "Superga is the most enchanting position in the world".” Now I have to give that a go when we are here. Maybe when we return in October?

 

The Linea Rossa was getting ready to pull out as we got to the ticket window, so we opted for the Linea Blu which left at 11:15. We had just a couple of minutes to buy the tickets and get on board.  We sat on top because the views were better. The bus didn’t follow the “normal” route because of the construction on Via Po. Instead it went by the Giardini Reali, Royal Gardens, down Viale 1st of March, past the Fontana delle Nereidi e dei Tritoni.

 

The Royal Gardens reopen recently after a complete restoration. The restoration of the Fountain of the Nereids and Tritons, a masterpiece by Simone Martinez, grandson of Filippo Juvarra, has also done. The fountain is in the Eastern Garden, where the oldest areas of the park are concentrated. The fountain is made of white marble according to the Baroque style, depicting a nymph surrounded by tritons and aquatic creatures that rise from the reflective water basin.

 

We then took a right and headed down Corso San Maurizio towards the Po. We drove south a long the Po to Parco Valentino. Serra and I took Pancetta here for a walk. Right now, the park is undergoing a renovation so it looks like a mess, but in time it will return to its original glory. Parco del Valentino (also known as Valentino Park) is a popular public park located along the west bank of the Po River. It opened in 1856. It covers an area of about 124 acres, which makes it Torino's second largest park (Torino's largest park, the 210-acre Pellerina Park, is Italy's most extended urban green area). This park has been nominated “The best Italian park” after being selected one of the fifteen best Italian parks.


Apparently, this is all part of “The Torino Project, its Parks, Its River; Memory and Future.” The next stop on the Linea Blu was  the Borgo Medievale, which is also closed for the same project – Until June 2026. That same stop is also the stop for the Musei Scientifici. Which consists of five different museums here in Torino. The National museum of the automobile is next. Several people got off. It looks like a good place to visit. But that is the purpose of the Hop On Hop Off Bus, find and see places to visit.


We got off at the next stop, Lingotto. Now lingotto translate to ingot, however lingotto is more often known as gold ingot. Here Lingotto referees to a building complex on Via Nizza that once housed a Fiat factory. It was completed in 1923, but ny the late 1970’s had become obsolete. The design was by the young architect Giacomo Matté-Trucco, and it was unusual because it had five floors. The raw materials going in at the ground floor, and cars built on a line that went up through the building. Finished cars emerged at rooftop level to go onto the 1.5km long test track. It was the largest car factory in the world at that time.


For its time, the Lingotto building was avant-garde, influential and impressive—Le Corbusier called it "one of the most impressive sights in industry", and "a guideline for town planning". 80 different models of car were produced there in its lifetime, including the Fiat Topolino of 1936.


In the late 1970’s it was superseded by the larger and more advanced Fiat Mirafiori factory — and a decision was made to finally close it in 1982. The closure of the plant led to much public debate about its future, and how to recover from industrial decline in general. An architectural competition was held, which was eventually awarded to Renzo Piano, who envisioned an exciting public space for the city. The old factory was restored into a modern complex, with concert halls, theatre, a convention centre, shopping arcades and a hotel. The eastern portion of the building is the headquarters of the Automotive Engineering faculty of the Polytechnic University of Turin.


So why did we get off? Well it is also the location of Eataly. This Eataly is nearly 120,000 square feet. Besides that is where Mary wanted to go have lunch. It was also the very first Eataly opened. It opened in 2007.


We had lunch at Pizza & Cucina. It all started with a bottle of Barbera d'Asti a rich, tangy, medium to full-bodied wine and a small wooded box containing wonderful Italian bread. We enjoyed a traditional Supplì. It is an antipasti consisting of a ball of rice, made with tomato sauce and a small piece of mozzarella in the center and then deep fried.

Mary chose the roast beef salad with fresh julienne vegetables, while I choice the Mezzi paccheri with ciaco e pepe. This was introduced to me in Siena while I was going to school. However, in Siena the pasta is pici. Pici is a thick spaghetti. Sometimes bucatini is substituted, and sometimes tonnarelli. Having first has it in Siena, pici makes the best. Ciaco e pepe simple means cheese and pepper.


From here on out until about 16:00 things are a little blank. Apparently, the sharing of the bottle wasn’t quite equal. Apparently, I may have drank a little more than my share. Mary says we took the bus back to Piazza Castello, walked down Via Po and went back to the apartment. She says I had a gelato along the way, but I don’t really remember.


After sleeping it off, we got up and got dressed and sat at the kitchen table. We worked on using our airline credits to book our flights to Italy in March. Went to the store for some bread for dinner. Dinner consisted of melon and prosciutto, salami and cheese and lots of water. We played a game of canasta, Mary won, and then it was time for bed.

This is a great location but there are three or four bars within a block, so there was a lot of “street” noise. It was a cool night so it was easy to get to sleep, even without air conditioning.


Buonanotte e Ciao. Enrico e Maria

   

 

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