Thursday October 6 was a beautiful sunny day with a high of 25C. We got up early and walked down to a meeting spot near the main train station to take a "Free Tour" of Torino (one pays with a tip). Our guide was Francesca and she lead the English speaking tour. We started walking back to the centre of town. We passed a great art installation of a pink water faucet suspended over a pond.
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| It's magic-- water faucet suspended in mid air |
Francesca gave us a very brief history of Torino- from a large Roman colony to the House of Savoy which expanded its holdings from France into northwestern Italy. Torino was a very wealthy city which became the first capital of a unified Italy in 1861. Francesca explained that Torino was a planned city and that buildings had to have a similar look and that they could not be too ostentatious. To this day, if one wants to, for example, have a café in an old pharmacy, all the old signage and features must be maintained.
She also said that there are almost 20 km of porticos in the historic part of the city-the porticos are where people hang out and they are cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. They also protect against the rain.
We walked to Piazza San Carlo. Francesco said that placing one's left food on the bull in front of the Caffé Torino brings good luck.
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| Good luck for Alonso in Piazza San Carlo |
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Common look in Piazza San Carlo
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Piazza San Carlo ("St. Charles Square") was laid out in the 16th and 17th century and is an example of Baroque style. The 1838 Equestrian monument of Emmanuel Philibert by Carlo Marochetti is in the centre of the square, which is surrounded by porticos designed in around 1638. The monument was commissioned by King Charles Albert of Savoy to commemorate the military prowess of an ancestor from his dynasty, Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy. The bas-reliefs depict the battle of St. Quentin (1557).
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| Emmanuel Philibert sheathing his sword |
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| Beautiful buildings on Piazza San Carlo |
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| The twin churches of Santa Cristina and San Carlo Borromeo are on the southern side of the Piazza. |
Santa Cristina (on the left) was designed in 1620 by the architect Carlo di Castellamonte and completed between 1715-1718 under the guidance of Filippo Juvarra. San Carlo Borromeo was commissioned in 1619 by Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy. The main designer is uncertain. It was completed in 1834.
We then went to the first Parliament of the unified Kingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1865. It is now part of the National Museum of Risorgimento. The Museum was founded in 1878 in order to honour the death of the first King of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II.
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| One side of the Museum- Palazzo Carignano (one of the branches of the Savoy family) |
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| Close up view |
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In the courtyard of the museum-- Francesca pointing out the date on the flag- March 17, 1861,
the date of unification |
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| Other part of the Museum- neoclassical style- this side faces Piazza Carlo Alberto |
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| Picture from last night of the Museum |
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| Monument to Carlo Alberto of Savoy, King of Sardinia was finished in 1861 by Carlo Marochetti. |
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| A detail of the monument has the crown placed over the constitution |
We continued our walk through one of the beautiful galleria of shops and restaurants, where Alonso and I had walked yesterday.
We carried on to a very large square lined with many buildings, palaces and museums. Quite overwhelming.
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| This is a government building |
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| In part of the square, a film crew was just shutting down--- a few folks were still in costume!! |
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| The Royal Palace with the Mole Antonelliana in the background |
Our guide pointed out that the front of the Royal Church located next to the Royal Palace had a plain facade. Even the Royals could not breach the building rules. Apparently the inside is quite beautiful.
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| Entrance to the Royal Church near to the Royal Palace |
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| Another view of the Royal Palace |
Francesca pointed out a tall building that did not fit the standard building rules. She said that it was Torre Littoria, built in 1933-34, during Mussolini's rule, with the intent of housing, among other offices, the national headquarters of the National Fascist Party. This never happened as the Party's headquarters were located first in Milan and then in Rome. Instead, it became wholly owned by Royal Mutual Insurance (Reale Mutua Assicurazioni). Until 1940, it was the tallest continuously habitable building in Italy. The height of the building, in proximity to the Royal Palace of Turin, was regarding as a statement of Fascist dominance over the Italian Royal House of Savoy. It has been irreverently called "the finger of Duce", among other things.
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Torre Littoria
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| Street life |
Our guide pointed out where the City Hall was located. Alonso and I later walked back this way.
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| View of City Hall |
We then walked to the Duomo di Torino (Turin Cathedral- Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista). It was consecrated in 1505 and holds the famous Shroud of Turin. It's style is Renaissance and Baroque.
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| Turin Cathedral |
Nearby were the ruins of a Roman theatre. Apparently, it could hold up to 2000 people. The ruins are part of the Museum of Antiquity. Construction began in 13 BC and in 40-50 AD, the stage was transformed and a portico added. It fall into decay after the arrival of Christianity and the ban on theatre performances. In 1899, during the construction of the new wing of the Royal Palace, the remains of the walls were discovered.
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Remains of the Roman amphitheatre
One of our final stops on the tour was the Palatine Gate which provided access through the city walls. It is one of the best preserved 1st century BC Roman gateways in the world. The statue of Julius Caesar is a copy.
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| The Palantine Gate- Porta Palatina |
At the end of the tour, Francesca took us to one of her favourite squares- Piazza IV Marzo, where there were a number of small restaurants snd cafés. The tour had a fair bit of walking, which was great on such a beautiful day. We felt more time and detail could have been spent on the history- but she did give us some social history and context to the sites we were visiting. When asked about which restaurants she would recommend- her comment was that they are all good, as Torino does not really have spots that cater just to tourists, as it has not become a major tourist destination. Sounds good to us!
Alonso and I headed to probably one of the few places where one does find tourists, though many locals stop there as well--- Café Al Bicerin-- the café where the famous historic "bicerin" drink was created. The small café has been in existence since 1793. The drink combines coffee, chocolate and whipping cream. One does not mix the layers. Definitely worth the two lactaid pills I took.
We wanted to check out a few restaurants for possible dinners on the weekend or early next week. We decided to stop for a glass of wine at Signorvino on a street we hadn't yet walked. Very buzzy and fun.
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| A lovely glass of Nebbiolo |
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| Large wine store and additional tables inside |
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| Wines from all over Italy |
We passed a closed store with The Number 6 on it. Hmm... perhaps a good omen for the Blue Jays.
We shall see.
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| The Six |
Chef Alonso made a lovely fish dinner with zucchini, onions and tomatoes with wine and a dessert from the bakery. We are lucky to have the warm weather so that we can spend a lot of time outdoors. Torino has a lot to offer-- we're only going to be able to scratch the surface. More adventures tomorrow.
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