The last day in Turin Ross and I got out of the hotel quite late but since we are both quick packers and since we'd planned our day the night before it was no problem. I wanted to see the Medieval City in the park by the Po river, and Ross was set on taking me ice skating for the first time in my life. It was a relaxing time walking along the river toward the Medieval City. Neither of us really knew what the city would be like, but Ross trusted my judgement enough to consent to a long walk to see it. While we walked next to the river we traded off taking photots of each other and of the river. We traded stories and anecdotes....it seemed almost like we could have been back at Sewanee. It was really nice. There was a part of me that felt like we should have woken up at the crack of dawn and loaded as much touristy stuff into our remaining hours as possible. There was a bigger part of me that just appreciated walking in Italy with Ross.
Finally we arrived at the Medieval City, and I think we were both glad we'd seen it before leaving Turin. Multiple buildings in medieval style gathered close to one another on the bank of the river, complete with a Castle that you could tour, it was a sight to see. In fact I was like a child at a theme park. I wanted to see each facet and go up close to every building. Due to time constraints we decided a tour through the castle wasn't necessary, but it was fine since just being in the center of a little medieval city was enchanting to me.
For lunch Ross and I finally ate at a place from my book that I'd been eyeing since arriving in Toulouse. 'La Badessa', located in the Carlo-Emmanuel I plaza, caught my attention because it was inside a palace. I think I was expecting a grand staircase and marble floors. Instead we found sparse furnishings and chamber music. Okay so the setting wasn't exactly what I'd thought about when I'd imagined a palace, but it was still really a cool atmosphere. Ross and I ordered two different 'taste' options. His plate included lasagna, green beans, and veal. My plate included a pork chop, potato cakes, and simple pasta. Trading back and forth, tasting each other's dishes we halved everything so that we got six different foods. Ross couldn't get enough of the green beans and pork chop and neither could I. Something about the spices used had our mouths captivated. Never before had he or I liked green beans so much. At the end of the meal we decided the perfect plate would have been my pork, Ross' green beans, and my pasta. For dessert we ordered some chocolate cake concoction which was yummy but not mind blowing. Then again, I'm a sucker for anything chocolate. The meal at Badessa turned out to be really yummy. Thankfully, we'd left ourselves enough time to ice skate before heading back to the hotel to grab our bags for the train station.
The rink was set up in our plaza which turned out to be a perfect location. From the rink we could see the Madre and the rest of our plaza and even look down Po street. Lots of adults were watching their kids on the rink, but Ross and I weren't the only people over 15 on the ice. A few more 'adults' skated around just as wobbly as I did. Ross said it would be just like roller blading and he was right. Skating was easy! However, with my camera in my pocket I was terrified of falling on the ice and harming myself or it. The hour spent ice skating was so much fun. Ross half tugged me around the rink until I got the hang of it. At intervals we snapped photos of each other and did awful tricks on our skates. Ross was able to skate on one foot. My trick was hurriedly turning a very shaky circle and managing to stay upright. As ridiculous as we probably looked we had a ball. I had tons of fun shrieking and laughing while wobbling around the circle while hanging onto Ross' coat cuff. The hour went by way too fast before we had to take off our skates and dash to the hotel to make our train to Milan. The taxi driver gave us our last little bit of Turin, muttering in Italian at the slow, unpredictable driver in front of us. In the backseat, loaded with backpacks, good memories, and our train tickets I think we both said a mental goodbye to the quaint, lively, welcoming city of Turin. We made the train, sitting across from each other, and took off for Milan with smiles on our faces.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Dream Vacation day 4 - Turin (pt 3)
Dinner was delicious. I took a chance on meat ravioli with a dark, gravy-like sauce and loved it! My portion was small because I'd ordered the appetizer as a meal but my stomach didn't stay empty long due to water, wine, and the dessert later. The waiter we had was friendly and very helpful with some English skill. We tried to end the meal on a dessert of Tiramisu, a dessert Ross adores but which, no matter how much I try, I don't really like past the first bite. I tried the Tiramisu, pushed the plate over to Ross, and ordered my own caramel flan. After lingering over our finished meal a bit longer talking and enjoying the laid-back atmosphere of the restaurant we shook hands with the waiter who'd become something of an old-friend during the time and stepped out into the cold.
Around the plaza Ross and I took a stroll. I don't know what he was thinking about but I was trying to commit to memory the day and the beautiful surroundings. Turin was quickly becoming one of my favorite European cities aside from Paris, Aix, and Toulouse. The night was calm and pretty but cold. After a while strolling and chatting, Ross and I finished our night back at the hotel devouring our chocolates bought at Stratta earlier in the day. We talked over the things we just 'had' to see before our train to Milan the next day. I was impressed we'd fit so much into the day, but was thankful for my feet that the next day included sitting on a train. The chocolates were appreciated, the next day planned, and sleep found.
Around the plaza Ross and I took a stroll. I don't know what he was thinking about but I was trying to commit to memory the day and the beautiful surroundings. Turin was quickly becoming one of my favorite European cities aside from Paris, Aix, and Toulouse. The night was calm and pretty but cold. After a while strolling and chatting, Ross and I finished our night back at the hotel devouring our chocolates bought at Stratta earlier in the day. We talked over the things we just 'had' to see before our train to Milan the next day. I was impressed we'd fit so much into the day, but was thankful for my feet that the next day included sitting on a train. The chocolates were appreciated, the next day planned, and sleep found.
Dream Vacation day 4 - Turin (pt 2)
Using my trusty guide book Ross and I chose two restaurants on the same street near the Egyptian Museum that we wanted to see before the end of the day. Of course, due to the time of year, one was closed, but the other 'Dual' was open. We consulted the pizza menu and stepped inside the almost full restaurant. There seemed to be only two open tables, one almost behind the door at which the waitress tried to seat us, and another in the craziness between the door, the bar, and a table of 6. We seated ourselves at the second option and ordered delicious pizzas. The interior was decorated in a sleek modern style in the colors grey, white, and purple. Tin Cambell's tomato soup cans hung from the ceiling, converted into lights. The restaurant was full of locals and must have been a favorite because it remained full and bustling throughout our meal.
Next we hit the plaza San Carlo in search of some gelatto. Ross prefered this plaza although I prefered the plaza Vittorio next to our hotel. While searching for gelattocame across a chocolate/candy shop called Stratta. Ross saw me drooling over the window display and graciously paid for a visit inside. Although the jelly beans and fruit squares caught my eye with their bright colors I simply had to buy chocolate and introduce Ross to the concept of a truffle (the chocolate kind, no the mushroom kind). One of the women who spoke english helped us pick out three chocolates each. By now, the balls of my feet were starting to ache, but the chocolates made me forget about it. Failing at finding gelatto, despite a place labeled 'gelatteria', we decided we'd find some on Po after a visit to the Egyptian museum. I wanted to see some mummies!!
The Egyptian Museum was packed with people and with artifacts. I'd read in the guidebook that it housed the biggest collection outside of Cairo but seeing all of it seemed more daunting than reading about it. Lining walls and shelves, Ross and I saw hieroglyphics, mummies, amulets, etc. Both of us were surprised as we noticed more and more people bumping into us and children running free. Others talked on cell phones or took up the entire space in front of an explanation card on a display case. Remaining calm, although aware of such oblivious rudeness, we explored the museum with enthusiasm. In lower levels we got to see stone statues and sphinxes in a black, mirrored, spotlit room (quite the setting indeed for such beauty). Ross was interested in the pharoh from Moses' time and I in finding the copy of the rosetta stone. By the end of hours exploring the museum, our feet were killing us, although I was the weakling who needed to sit down a couple of times, and our heads were full of egyptian visions. We left the museum needed to rest up before dinner.
As we walked down Po I simply couldn't handle my boots anymore. They were still quite comfy but being on the balls of my feet for the previous three days had taken its toll. Each step felt like a stab. Ross kindly entered a shoe store with me without "I told you so" but it was so crowded that my patience couldn't stand it. Thankfully for my mood and Ross' feet as well, we found a gelatteria on the way back toward the hotel. Enjoying every taste of our tiny spoonfuls of yumminess we just rested in the feeling of not moving for the moment. While eating I convinced Ross to head back to the hotel by himself. I needed to be a complete diva and shop for some other warm boots and having Ross with me was not going to work. I was aware of how his feet must be feeling and thought some time checking sports and internet at the hotel would do him some good. Reluctantly he left me to my mission.
I found a shop, got some grey boots which Ross later named 'elf boots', and was back at the hotel within the hour. After resting our feet, and more surfing the internet, we consulted the same helpful guy at the front desk for a dinner spot. He picked out a place close to the hotel named 'Porto di Savona', a place also in my guide book. Although a little disappointed from viewing the outside because the place didn't look that nice I was too tired from our full day to walk anywhere else. In we went and found ourselves in a homey restaurant with lots of charm and plenty of wine. I looked around the room appreciating the old clock and the gigantic jug of wine corks; the faded wall paper and the wooden beams actually complimented each other in an old world sort of way. It was definitely a place where you were going to get good food in heaping portions and no one would care what fork you used or your dinner etiquette.
Next we hit the plaza San Carlo in search of some gelatto. Ross prefered this plaza although I prefered the plaza Vittorio next to our hotel. While searching for gelattocame across a chocolate/candy shop called Stratta. Ross saw me drooling over the window display and graciously paid for a visit inside. Although the jelly beans and fruit squares caught my eye with their bright colors I simply had to buy chocolate and introduce Ross to the concept of a truffle (the chocolate kind, no the mushroom kind). One of the women who spoke english helped us pick out three chocolates each. By now, the balls of my feet were starting to ache, but the chocolates made me forget about it. Failing at finding gelatto, despite a place labeled 'gelatteria', we decided we'd find some on Po after a visit to the Egyptian museum. I wanted to see some mummies!!
The Egyptian Museum was packed with people and with artifacts. I'd read in the guidebook that it housed the biggest collection outside of Cairo but seeing all of it seemed more daunting than reading about it. Lining walls and shelves, Ross and I saw hieroglyphics, mummies, amulets, etc. Both of us were surprised as we noticed more and more people bumping into us and children running free. Others talked on cell phones or took up the entire space in front of an explanation card on a display case. Remaining calm, although aware of such oblivious rudeness, we explored the museum with enthusiasm. In lower levels we got to see stone statues and sphinxes in a black, mirrored, spotlit room (quite the setting indeed for such beauty). Ross was interested in the pharoh from Moses' time and I in finding the copy of the rosetta stone. By the end of hours exploring the museum, our feet were killing us, although I was the weakling who needed to sit down a couple of times, and our heads were full of egyptian visions. We left the museum needed to rest up before dinner.
As we walked down Po I simply couldn't handle my boots anymore. They were still quite comfy but being on the balls of my feet for the previous three days had taken its toll. Each step felt like a stab. Ross kindly entered a shoe store with me without "I told you so" but it was so crowded that my patience couldn't stand it. Thankfully for my mood and Ross' feet as well, we found a gelatteria on the way back toward the hotel. Enjoying every taste of our tiny spoonfuls of yumminess we just rested in the feeling of not moving for the moment. While eating I convinced Ross to head back to the hotel by himself. I needed to be a complete diva and shop for some other warm boots and having Ross with me was not going to work. I was aware of how his feet must be feeling and thought some time checking sports and internet at the hotel would do him some good. Reluctantly he left me to my mission.
I found a shop, got some grey boots which Ross later named 'elf boots', and was back at the hotel within the hour. After resting our feet, and more surfing the internet, we consulted the same helpful guy at the front desk for a dinner spot. He picked out a place close to the hotel named 'Porto di Savona', a place also in my guide book. Although a little disappointed from viewing the outside because the place didn't look that nice I was too tired from our full day to walk anywhere else. In we went and found ourselves in a homey restaurant with lots of charm and plenty of wine. I looked around the room appreciating the old clock and the gigantic jug of wine corks; the faded wall paper and the wooden beams actually complimented each other in an old world sort of way. It was definitely a place where you were going to get good food in heaping portions and no one would care what fork you used or your dinner etiquette.
Dream Vacation day 4 - Turin (pt 1)
The second day in Turin, Ross and I did a better job of being tourists. After hotel breakfast (which if you stay at a hotel in Europe usually consists of slices of meat and cheese, croissants, natural yogurt, corn flake cereal, coffee, and fruit juice) we got out of the hotel ready for a day of proper sightseeing. Ross and I both really wanted to see the former location of the Shroud of Turin as well as a Palace or two. After checking the hours of the ice skating rink set up in our plaza (an activity we definitely wanted to do before leaving Turin), we headed up the bustling street Po toward Duomo Saint John Baptist. Ross and I were a bit confused because on the map the cathedral was listed as Saint Giovanni....which now that I think about it does seem like Jean or John but at the time such as association was not clicking for us. Skipping over the Royal Plaza Ross led the way to the cathedral. I'm not sure what I expected but I was nonplussed by what I found. The cathedral was dark and unattractive thanks to the gaudy gilding here and there and a serious lack of light. I was impressed with the trompe l'oeil painting above the altar though. Ross and I took a quick walk around the interior, ending in front of the shroud's location (not the actual shroud) but a clearly indicated area especially dedicated to the Shroud. Behind what looked like bulletproof glass a square coffin/table like structure sat covered in white and red cloth and adorned on top with a crown of thorns. Above this ....holding tank shall we say.... hung an enlarged facsimile of the part of the shroud that showed Jesus' face. Ross waited patiently while I took pictures. Then we left the cathedral happy to have seen the location of the shroud but ready for some sunlight and more sights.
Ross was really interested in the Madama Palace which was conveniently located next to the Royal Palace, and both were positioned around the piazza Castello. The architecture of the Royal Palace was gorgeous but neither of us wanted to go inside; the tourist book didn't make it sound appealing enough. Instead, we crossed the few steps over the piazza Castello and entered the Madama Palace. Not sure of what we could see for free and what was considered a tour, Ross led through the entrance hall toward a room with a large Christmas tree. We were amazed when our feet hit glass. The entire floor of the room was glass so that you could see down into the stone passageways of the basement. It was both thrilling and scary for me to look through the floor to the stone level below. With nothing else exciting in that room, we moved back out into the entrance hall flanked by two grand staircases. Others were lazily traversing them so Ross and I did the same. Unfortunately the staircase only led to an upper hallway over the entrance and then down the other staircase back to ground level. Intrigued with the beauty of what we'd seen for free, we decided to spend some euros on the tour/museum deeper inside the palace. The self-tour led through the museum collection of religious art and medieval art. Although much of it was fascinating and cool to see I think my favorite part were the upper levels.
Ross and I were both wondering if the entire castle would consist of art or if any of it would show palace rooms true to their age. We explored the basement with a beautiful roman mosaic floor exhibition. After traveling up a spiral stone staircase our wishes were fulfilled. Palace rooms with old wooden floors, floor to ceiling mirrors, and thick, gaudy, richly colored wall paper greeted us. We saw breathtaking furniture and beautiful fireplaces. On the next floor, we explored the endless rows of china (I mean endless!) and a room entirely dedicated to lace. But my absolute favorite part of the hours long tour we took was the jewelry exhibition that the palace had in the ballroom. The ballroom itself was elegant and spacious - Ross had trouble dragging me away from it - but to add to the allure was an exhibition with ambient music and moving lights of American costume jewelry from the first half of the 20th century.
Some of the sparkle seemed to interest Ross, which made me feel less selfish about oohing and aahing over each bejeweled little work of art. Finally, drunk off the glitz and glamour (at least I was), we left the Madama Palace hungry for lunch.
Ross was really interested in the Madama Palace which was conveniently located next to the Royal Palace, and both were positioned around the piazza Castello. The architecture of the Royal Palace was gorgeous but neither of us wanted to go inside; the tourist book didn't make it sound appealing enough. Instead, we crossed the few steps over the piazza Castello and entered the Madama Palace. Not sure of what we could see for free and what was considered a tour, Ross led through the entrance hall toward a room with a large Christmas tree. We were amazed when our feet hit glass. The entire floor of the room was glass so that you could see down into the stone passageways of the basement. It was both thrilling and scary for me to look through the floor to the stone level below. With nothing else exciting in that room, we moved back out into the entrance hall flanked by two grand staircases. Others were lazily traversing them so Ross and I did the same. Unfortunately the staircase only led to an upper hallway over the entrance and then down the other staircase back to ground level. Intrigued with the beauty of what we'd seen for free, we decided to spend some euros on the tour/museum deeper inside the palace. The self-tour led through the museum collection of religious art and medieval art. Although much of it was fascinating and cool to see I think my favorite part were the upper levels.
Ross and I were both wondering if the entire castle would consist of art or if any of it would show palace rooms true to their age. We explored the basement with a beautiful roman mosaic floor exhibition. After traveling up a spiral stone staircase our wishes were fulfilled. Palace rooms with old wooden floors, floor to ceiling mirrors, and thick, gaudy, richly colored wall paper greeted us. We saw breathtaking furniture and beautiful fireplaces. On the next floor, we explored the endless rows of china (I mean endless!) and a room entirely dedicated to lace. But my absolute favorite part of the hours long tour we took was the jewelry exhibition that the palace had in the ballroom. The ballroom itself was elegant and spacious - Ross had trouble dragging me away from it - but to add to the allure was an exhibition with ambient music and moving lights of American costume jewelry from the first half of the 20th century.
Some of the sparkle seemed to interest Ross, which made me feel less selfish about oohing and aahing over each bejeweled little work of art. Finally, drunk off the glitz and glamour (at least I was), we left the Madama Palace hungry for lunch.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Dream Vacation day 3 - Turin (pt 3)
The young guy from the previous night was on shift and discarded my dinner choices in favor of a celebrated local place, located near the Mole, called Tre da Tre (3x3). After freshening up and then waking Ross up, he and I headed to the restaurant. It was a full, bustling place with a lively atmosphere and a waitress who thankfully spoke some English. Ross was interested in the menu while I was facinated with the patrons who were allowed to have their dogs in the restaurant. We both chose pasta for dinner and awaited our food while observing the people and things around us.
During our meal we saw interesting things. Some guy was traveling table to table selling individual roses. The restaurant manager engaged with those customer he knew and checked in on all facets of the staff and restaurant. Waitresses, bus boys, and others bustled to and fro. At some point I even snaked my hand away from the table to pet a dog nearby who was behaving quite well aside from a couple random barks. The food was yummy. The dessert was better! Ross and I ordered 'profiteroles' which ended up being mousse/ice cream balls surrounded in chocolate, powdered sugar, and encased in pastry shells. The dinner was a huge, satisfying success!!!
After our meal Ross and I explored Po street, a main street in Turin linking our plaza to the piazza Castello. We also walked all along our piazza, then by the river, then around the city center in general just 'seeing' the city of Turin without a map or any worry about time.
Although it might seem that Ross and I accomplished little our first day in Turin we were tired at the end of the night. We'd walked a lot and gotten a general layout of the city center and all the things we definitely 'had' to see the next day in Turin.
During our meal we saw interesting things. Some guy was traveling table to table selling individual roses. The restaurant manager engaged with those customer he knew and checked in on all facets of the staff and restaurant. Waitresses, bus boys, and others bustled to and fro. At some point I even snaked my hand away from the table to pet a dog nearby who was behaving quite well aside from a couple random barks. The food was yummy. The dessert was better! Ross and I ordered 'profiteroles' which ended up being mousse/ice cream balls surrounded in chocolate, powdered sugar, and encased in pastry shells. The dinner was a huge, satisfying success!!!
After our meal Ross and I explored Po street, a main street in Turin linking our plaza to the piazza Castello. We also walked all along our piazza, then by the river, then around the city center in general just 'seeing' the city of Turin without a map or any worry about time.
Although it might seem that Ross and I accomplished little our first day in Turin we were tired at the end of the night. We'd walked a lot and gotten a general layout of the city center and all the things we definitely 'had' to see the next day in Turin.
Dream Vacation day 3 - Turin (pt 2)
The waiter didn't speak English and since neither Ross nor I speak Italian it was quite evident we were going to be forced to embarrassingly use a little Italian dictionary to look up the words we couldn't figure out with his knowledge of Latin and Spanish and my knowledge of French. After choosing what seemed like safe, appetizing pizzas we waited. The pizzas brought by the waiter had cost less than 10 euros each and were bigger than a medium pizza in America. Ross stared down with satisfaction and I with surprise; there was no way all that food was ending up in my stomach but it sure smelled and looked good. There were a few surprises in our order. Ross ended up with ham he hadn't expected under all his other ingredients and my mushroom, olive, ham pizza was more watery than I'm used to but every bite of both our dishes was heaven. As would become the norm on our trip Ross devoured his entire pizza while I struggled to consume half of mine in the same time. We left 'La Spada Reale' (the name of the restaurant) with happy, full stomachs. Since our entire day had begun a little late it was already nearing the early winter dusk when we left the restaurant.
We walked to the Mole Antonelliana (the tallest structure in Turin), not to explore the cinema theatre inside, but in order to try to catch sunset at the top of the observation area. The line was long when we stepped into it and I began to feel guilty that he'd let me choose the sight since my choice involved waiting in the cold. Bit by bit we moved up the line and inside into another line just as long. After waiting almost exactly 2 hours (graciously Ross helped me go over French exam note cards in line), we made it into the elevator that would take us to the top of the Mole. Ross seemed so weary and it was so cold that I felt slightly disappointed with the experience, but the view at the top perked us both up. Looking down we could see each piazza and monument lit up in the night (we'd missed sunset standing in the waiting line). The major streets crisscrossed below in a blaze of luminescence. Ross and I were surprised to see the Santa Maria al Monte lit up in dark blue lighting and we agreed it was better during the daylight. After as long as we could stand in the cold wind, Ross and I descended and headed back to the hotel. We both needed to warm up and rest our feet before dinner. Back in the hotel, me joining Ross in his room so we could try to figure out dinner choices from my travel book, staring at the travel book turned into napping. Fortunately, I awoke after about an hour and let Ross continue sleeping while I headed down to the hotel desk to gather info on local places to eat.
We walked to the Mole Antonelliana (the tallest structure in Turin), not to explore the cinema theatre inside, but in order to try to catch sunset at the top of the observation area. The line was long when we stepped into it and I began to feel guilty that he'd let me choose the sight since my choice involved waiting in the cold. Bit by bit we moved up the line and inside into another line just as long. After waiting almost exactly 2 hours (graciously Ross helped me go over French exam note cards in line), we made it into the elevator that would take us to the top of the Mole. Ross seemed so weary and it was so cold that I felt slightly disappointed with the experience, but the view at the top perked us both up. Looking down we could see each piazza and monument lit up in the night (we'd missed sunset standing in the waiting line). The major streets crisscrossed below in a blaze of luminescence. Ross and I were surprised to see the Santa Maria al Monte lit up in dark blue lighting and we agreed it was better during the daylight. After as long as we could stand in the cold wind, Ross and I descended and headed back to the hotel. We both needed to warm up and rest our feet before dinner. Back in the hotel, me joining Ross in his room so we could try to figure out dinner choices from my travel book, staring at the travel book turned into napping. Fortunately, I awoke after about an hour and let Ross continue sleeping while I headed down to the hotel desk to gather info on local places to eat.
Dream Vacation day 3 - Turin (pt 1)
I'd like to say Ross and I woke up bright and early to explore Italy. But Ross and I aren't morning people so we both slept in, barely catching the end of hotel breakfast, and then proceeded to take our time getting out of the hotel for the day. Being Monday, and the dead time between Christmas and New Year's, we already knew that lots of things were going to be closed. However, determined to make the most of our trip we headed down the block to walk along the lazy river Po.
I had no idea when I picked our hotel for Turin that it would be situated perfectly right off of the gorgeous Piazza Vittoria Veneto, one block away from the river Po, and a ten minute walk from lots of major Turin sights. Random, perfect luck.
We first visited the Gran Madre di Dio, a neoclassic church resembling a rotunda with a slate blue dome and very pretty statues, situated just across the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele I (bridge). Though we couldn't go in, seeing the outside of the building was good enough. We'd already seen her lit up from the taxi the night before. My Italian is nonexistent, but I think our driver told us that the church was very important to the people of Turin and they viewed 'her' as 'watching over them'. From the Madre, Ross and I headed up the hill to a church. He'd seen it from below and suggested it might be cool to check it out though we didn't know what it was. I was up for stretching my legs and working up my appetite for a my first big Italian lunch.
Up the hill we went and arrived at the Santa Maria al Monte church. There wasn't much to see honestly. The building wasn't spectacular and although the inside was charming it didn't hold a candle to others Ross and I had seen...but the view outside! The view was perfect! In my kindest tourist manner I asked an Italian guy to snap a photo of Ross and I against the pretty skyline, making sure that it included the famous Mole. After a couple more minutes admiring the beautiful Turin from above Ross and I headed down the hill.
My boyfriend seriously doubted my choice of footwear, not that I blame him, because I was wearing black, kitten heeled winter boots. In my defense, unlike most females, my shoe repertoire is tiny and it was those boots or cowboy boots that I had paid too much for to be willing to ruin walking around Italy. My boots were super comfortable and I had faith that they'd last each day without killing my feet.
While walking in the area around our hotel, Ross abruptly stopped in front of a restaurant window. I was a bit skeptical since we had no idea, apart from the menu, how the food would be or if the place was reputable, but it looked quaint inside and the prices were reasonable. We were seated in a charming dining room and given menus....
I had no idea when I picked our hotel for Turin that it would be situated perfectly right off of the gorgeous Piazza Vittoria Veneto, one block away from the river Po, and a ten minute walk from lots of major Turin sights. Random, perfect luck.
We first visited the Gran Madre di Dio, a neoclassic church resembling a rotunda with a slate blue dome and very pretty statues, situated just across the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele I (bridge). Though we couldn't go in, seeing the outside of the building was good enough. We'd already seen her lit up from the taxi the night before. My Italian is nonexistent, but I think our driver told us that the church was very important to the people of Turin and they viewed 'her' as 'watching over them'. From the Madre, Ross and I headed up the hill to a church. He'd seen it from below and suggested it might be cool to check it out though we didn't know what it was. I was up for stretching my legs and working up my appetite for a my first big Italian lunch.
Up the hill we went and arrived at the Santa Maria al Monte church. There wasn't much to see honestly. The building wasn't spectacular and although the inside was charming it didn't hold a candle to others Ross and I had seen...but the view outside! The view was perfect! In my kindest tourist manner I asked an Italian guy to snap a photo of Ross and I against the pretty skyline, making sure that it included the famous Mole. After a couple more minutes admiring the beautiful Turin from above Ross and I headed down the hill.
My boyfriend seriously doubted my choice of footwear, not that I blame him, because I was wearing black, kitten heeled winter boots. In my defense, unlike most females, my shoe repertoire is tiny and it was those boots or cowboy boots that I had paid too much for to be willing to ruin walking around Italy. My boots were super comfortable and I had faith that they'd last each day without killing my feet.
While walking in the area around our hotel, Ross abruptly stopped in front of a restaurant window. I was a bit skeptical since we had no idea, apart from the menu, how the food would be or if the place was reputable, but it looked quaint inside and the prices were reasonable. We were seated in a charming dining room and given menus....
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