torino

In all the time I've spent in Italy, before this week I had never been to Torino.  Honestly I didn't even know very much about the city.  I remember the Winter Olympics being held there in 2006 and I knew it was very near the Alps, but that was all I knew of Torino.  Now I wish I had visited much sooner.  I loved Torino; honestly, it is now one of my very favorite Italian cities.  And I hope to go back very soon.

approach into Torino Lingotto from the train

I had done a little research before going so that I would know what I wanted to see and all the things I thought Holden would enjoy best.  We took an early train from Genova into the Torino Lingotto Station, where the Olympic Park was and which is a little outside of the centro of the city.  This was the only bad part of what I saw of Torino, the desolate unused shell of the Olympic Park.

abandoned Olympic Park

Olympic pedestrian bridge

Then we took a short walk to the FIAT production building, designed by Matte-Trucco with an addition by Renzo Piano.  Inside was, among other things, a shopping mall and a small art museum which Holden liked and outside on the roof was the test track, which he loved.

scultpture in FIAT building

running on the test track

at the top of the incline

trying to balance

running down the steep incline

When we left the FIAT in Lingotto, we were headed to Parco del Valentino, but spotted Eataly (it was an enormous Eataly, in fact I found out later that it was the original) and decided to get a quick lunch and gelato there. Then we went to the park.  Parco del Valentino is a huge beautiful park, the nicest I've found in Italy.  It reminded me so much of walking through Central Park in the autumn.  The Po River follows parallel to the park on the East side.  People were canoeing along the river and there were also bikers and runners in the park.  This is something you don't see much in Italy, at least not in Genova.  Seeing the boats rowing along the river actually reminded me a little of Boston too.  The park also has a castle and a wonderful playground full of children. We spent much of the afternoon in the park and then went to Via Roma in the centro of Torino for some shopping.

Parco del Valentino

Parco del Valentino

view of the Po River from Parco del Valentino

castle in Parco del Valentino

playground in Parco del Valentino

Holden and I looked in a few stores for some shoes and then found an Apple store (we needed a new computer charger) and then we to the chocolate store for cioccalata calda, hot chocolate.  Torino is know for their hot chocolate and for a drink called bicerin, sort of a mix of cappucino and hot chocolate.  We found a very nice chocolate shop on a small street just east of Piazza San Carlo.  It was absolutely delicious.  The hot chocolate is very different than in the United States.  It literally is just melted warm chocolate.  It comes in a bowl with a spoon and you don't drink it; you eat it.  We were also offered chocolates to taste.  Holden and I spent a long time eating our hot chocolate and trying to figure out how to recreate this wonderful concoction again at home.

grand porticoes of Via Roma

chocolate cafe

chocolate shop sign

cioccalata calda and bicerin

Then we had to meet Giudi and the students and get back on the train to head home.  We had a wonderful day in the beautiful city of Torino!

walking with the students at dusk through Piazza San Carlo back to the station