When I asked people in Spain – and even some Italian buddies – what Turin is like, what there is to do there, the reactions were at best lukewarm…It´s nice. It´s small. It´s a typical Italian town.  It´s nothing special. Hmmm. Well, to each his or her own, but I think those folks were wrong!  I think Torino is da bomb!  Granted, it´s not a big city with tons of attractions, high fashion gente (crowds), or 50 Michelin restaurants. But it has a really unique charm and some extremely cool things to say for itself.

First, we were blown away by the scale and grandeur of the plazas in Torino.  There are a number of very expansive piazzas scattered around the center city, most with incredibly lovely old grand buildings encircling them.  Then there are very large scale statues of everything from historical figures from Italian history to gods and goddesses of well-known mythological origins.  I am talking BIG statues – really big.

The shopping district in the center part of the city rivals any I have seen in other parts of metropolitan Europe…all the name brands and high end designers  but they are right alongside cozy old cafes and pubs and antique bookstores.  The walkways are all covered  and adorned with Romanesque columns – cobblestone and marble hang out together side by side,  And then – in the mix are local stores with the craziest names:  Blob, Cou Cou, Soysauce Oz – selling everything from hipster clothes to local artwork and jewelry. 

Nothing to DO in Turino? NOTHING to DO???  How about an incredible automobile history museum that traces the history of Italian carmaking with actual cars on exhibit going back to the turn of the 20th century (maybe earlier). Eitan even picked out a Ferrari for Ari (our family play on words in honor of our #1 son).  OK, cars not your thing? How about the second largest collection of Egyptian artifacts in the world?  This was truly one of the most breathtaking experience I have had.  We wandered through rooms of mummies and sarcophagi that had been transported from Egypt and environs along with gigantic statues of Egyptian rulers and gods that stand easily a few stories high.  Rooms filled with artifacts of daily life and contents of burial tombs of rulers who were buried with enough goods to have a pretty cushy afterlife.

Oh, and then there´s the food.  We had two very different meals in Torino – one that was more familiar cuisine for us…yummy stuff like pasta Bolognese, veal piccata.   Then we were introduced by a new, wonderful, local friend from Turin to the food that is of the Piedmont region.  We tried steak tartare (not my fave to be honest), artichoke custard (to die for), handmade pasta with a ground pork and spices sauce, and chocolate desserts (oh my)…did you know that Nutella is made in Alba – a neighbor to Turin?  Deadly when it´s added to complement pastries, believe me.

Last but not least – the people of Torino we met were kind, welcoming and just seemed good with life – despite the bitter cold weather, they were warm.  I know, tourist impression, but that meant a lot to me as we have met with a pretty wide range of cultural attitudes as we have wandered around Europe. I liked this one.

Hasta Luego!