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We are wrapping up our time in Torino.  We can say that we like Torino, but it’s ok that it’s time to move on.  Torino is the fourth largest city in Italy and while the population is a little short of one million, it does have a smaller feel.  It seems to be quieter than what I would expect for a city this size.  We spent one of the three days here doing a lot of sightseeing and the other two days were spent with a relaxed pace, just getting things done that need to get done.

The washer in our apartment was temporarily not working so we went to a laundromat just five minutes away.

There were two gentlemen there who were doing their laundry and they were so helpful.  Not only did they demonstrate the process to be used for washing and drying but they also made two restaurant recommendations.  Both of those turned out to be great. The first one we went to is called Osteria Trattoria dal Falabrach.  It was certainly more of a locals kind of place and we were looking for agnolotti with a beef sauce.  The agnolotti is like a mini-ravioli and it is stuffed with beef.  They had it and it was delicious.  We also had a red wine from the Piedmont region (Torino is the capital).  We finished that meal with a chocolate salami.  It sounded interesting so we tried it.  It was good – basically a dense piece of chocolate with hazelnut and powdered sugar in the shape of a salami log.  Really nice meal.

The second recommendation was at Vecchi Europa Ristorante Pizzeria.  It was a cold, rainy night but we ventured out anyway – it was only about a 13-minute walk.  Again, not disappointed at all.  We each had a pizza and a beer made from a local brewery (Forst).  We also shared an order of bruschetta.  Everything was great.  We were very happy with the recommendations from our friends at the laundromat.

Other than sightseeing, we did get another workout in at a gym about ten minutes away from the apartment.  The gym charged 12 Euros each for a day pass.  We both did various weights and I did cardio on the treadmill, elliptical, and bike.  It’s not as economical as our gym membership in Sarasota, but it is nice to get those opportunities every once in a while.

As for sightseeing, the highlights we found in Torino for our day out started with the Mercato di Porta Palazzo.  This is the largest open-air market in Europe and it was really interesting.  Fruits and vegetables on one corner of the main intersection, other food on another corner, clothes on another corner – those are loose assignments.  The market had everything.  One corner also had an indoor center that had really good-looking restaurants.  The market is a place that many immigrants head to when they first arrive in Italy/Europe and that made for an even more interesting experience – you could definitely tell that there were many cultures and languages represented among the vendors.

Next, we went to Caffe al Bicerin to try the bicerin drink that is native to Torino.  It is a coffee, chocolate, cream drink and it was really good.  I could become a coffee drinker if that is what coffee tasted like. 

One of our best highlights in Torino is that our time at the café was spent next to Russell and Valma.  They were there to see the Depeche show and like us, stayed after a few days.  We chatted for quite a while – maybe an hour – and it was just a wonderful afternoon getting to know each other.  They live in Birmingham, England and we look forward to reuniting when we are there – or somewhere else along the way. 

The basilica next to the café is called Santuario Basilica La Consolata.  This is a beautiful church and not all that big.  For the space they have, they have done an amazing job of utilizing for various chapels and giving it an ornate decorative style that can rival some of the bigger churches in Europe. 

We walked by several piazzas, the royal palace (now a museum), the Mole Antonelliana, which is a museum and is the symbol of Torino.  Torino is known as the city of chocolate and we indulged in some at Guido Gobino – it was very good although we misunderstood the descriptions the lady gave us in English so we didn’t get quite what we expected.  So many people are so apologetic about their English here.  I keep saying it’s us who should apologize because we are in their country and we don’t speak even a small percentage in their language of what they can speak in ours.

The last sight to mention on our walk around Torino is the cathedral.  This is quite a beautiful building and famously houses the Holy Shroud of Turin.  It is claimed to be the shroud in which Jesus was buried.  The Catholic church neither agrees nor disagrees – they are silent on the matter.  Whether it is or it isn’t, it still holds a significant level of importance for the people worshipping in this cathedral and it was worth seeing the display.  The actual shroud is only on display occasionally in order to protect it, so we saw a painting of a part of it.

We had two more Torinese dishes we wanted to try and we found them at Almondo Nuovo Trattoria.   We had tajarin pasta, which is similar to spaghetti but made with considerably more egg yolks in the pasta preparation and we had Brasato al Barolo, which is a meat dish made with Barolo wine from the Piedmont region.  Both of the dishes were excellent and we were happy to return to our apartment on full stomachs.  No room for gelato, which we did not have at all while we were in Torino.  Almost a crime.