Tourin' Turin

(My apologies for the corny title.)

This past Friday and Saturday was our overnight trip to Turin, a city in the northeastern part of Italy, in the region of Piedmont. You might recognize the name because it was the host city of the 2006 Winter Olympics. The ECCO program sponsored the trip, so everything was paid for, including our hotel, which was actually really nice. Despite the cold and rainy weather on Friday, and the fact that I started getting a sore throat Friday morning (that has now developed into a head cold...blech), I loved Turin. It was very different from any of the Italian cities I've seen so far, which makes sense, because it's the farthest north I've been in Italy. The architecture was very Baroque, and the buildings were made of white and gray stone, as opposed to the reds and browns of medieval/Renaissance cities like Bologna and Florence. It almost reminded me of a French or Swiss chalet village, which might not be too far off since northern Italy borders both France and Switzerland.

Our weekend started off with some Halloween candy on the bus ride. Adri and I bought pumpkin-shaped marzipans from a café in Bologna, and our professor gave out Lindt Halloween chocolates on the bus.

Pumpkin-shaped marzipan

Lindt Halloween chocolates - a pumpkin and a ghost

We arrived in Turin in the afternoon, and our first stop was the Mole Antonelliana, a large domed structure whose spire dominates Turin's skyline. It was originally built to be a synagogue in 1863, but now houses the city's Museum of Cinema. The museum itself is very eccentric, beginning with exhibits on the origins and development of film technology, ending with film screening rooms like a 1960s living room and a gigantic refrigerator with toilets for seats. (I kid you not.) A glass elevator that runs through the middle of the building (so you can see the entire central area of the museum, and inside of the dome, as you ascend) leads to the observation deck at the top. I was really hoping to get a glimpse of the mountains surrounding Turin, but aside from the fact that it was already dusk, the rain had brought clouds to the city, and the elevator operator said the mountains wouldn't be visible all week. Despite that disappointment, it was still a beautiful view. 

The dome of the Mole Antonelliana

The door of the men's room at the Museum of Cinema

The door of the women's room at the Museum of Cinema

The view of Turin from the top of the dome

Now seems like a good place to mention that Turin is famous for chocolate. On Friday, we went to a café known for its hot chocolate and bicerin, Turin's signature drink made with chocolate, espresso, and whipped cream. Both were delicious, although the hot chocolate was too intense to even drink half of. Think Spanish hot chocolate - melted dark chocolate in a cup. My guidebook says that this café, Caffe Gelateria Fiorio, is also famous for its gelato (although it was far too cold to have gelato), and that Mark Twain and Herman Melville both frequented it when they were in Turin. Turin is also famous for hazelnut chocolates called gianduiotto. They were invented during Napoleonic times when chocolate was rationed, so they had to stretch out the chocolate with something...and what better to mix in than hazelnut? This combination is actually what eventually turned into nutella. Yes, that's right, Turin is the birthplace of nutella. So on Saturday, we made sure to pick up a few gianduiotto chocolates to take with us. 

Emily with her bicerin

My hot chocolate

Friday night we went out to dinner at a great restaurant for our group dinner. I assume we were served traditional Piemontese food...there were so many courses that I don't even know where to begin. Basically, we gorged ourselves on food and wine, and then walked a lot afterwards!

On Saturday, which was nice and sunny, we did a short walking tour of Turin, ending in the large and very beautiful Parco del Valentino, and then had the afternoon free. We decided to go to the Egyptian Museum, which houses the third-largest Egyptian collection in the world, after Cairo and London. We had intended to go to the Duomo to see the Holy Shroud of Turin (said to be the burial cloth of Christ), but the cathedral was closed for the afternoon pausa, and by the time we were done with the Egyptian Museum, we were all exhausted and more than ready to head back to Bologna. We also had wanted to see a smaller gallery in the same building as the Egyptian Museum that has a collection of Dutch and Flemish paintings from the 14th-18th centuries, but sadly, it closed for the day at 2pm. So there will have to be a next time in Turin...I still have to see those mountains, too!

Palazzo Madama in Turin's central piazza

Palazzo Reale (Palazzo Madama would be on the right if this picture continued, same piazza)

The Duomo, Turin's main cathedral

Fake façade of the Duomo

Parco del Valentino

The Po River that runs through Turin

A pretty street that reminded me of a French or Swiss chalet village

Back in Bologna, a few of us went out for Indian food last night. I hadn't had Indian food in months, and while it certainly didn't compare to any of the restaurants in the East Village, it was very enjoyable, and the spices were just what I needed for my head cold. I know it probably sounds ridiculous to be eating Indian food in Italy, but it was actually a nice change of tastes!

Tomorrow night we're going to the main library in Bologna to watch the election coverage live, sponsored by Democrats Abroad. If you weren't aware, and are in the US, Starbucks is giving out free coffee to everyone who votes tomorrow! So go vote and then get your free coffee!!